Accepting Differences
by Amanio
Summary: Vampires. Humans. They were created coexist with each other. Each depended on the other. But what if things get too far? What do you do when one gets too mixed up with the other? Too late to turn back now.... IchigoxKish
1. Chapter 1

Chapter: The Mysterious Figure…

"Foolish girl! Did you really think I saw you as an equal? To me you're worth a piece of garbage! You're an outsider, and will remain that way! No one will ever be able to love you, deal with it!" Said the cruel glaring woman as she cackled with a dry voice. "Now, go do your work!" She yelled, as she pulled the young girl's hair and kicked her aside. "Hurry up, slacker!"

Yelled the woman, as she laughed at the young girl's futile try. She was up, only to be thrown back down on the ground with a hard thud from the cruel woman. "What's taking you so long? Hurry up!" She continued to laugh with ice filled in her voice, as she stared at the girl as she began to cry. "Hurry up, or else you won't get any dinner." "You barely feed me anyway…" Murmured the girl to herself. "What was that? Did you say something? Speak up!" Yelled the woman.

She glared at the young girl as she shook her head. "No ma'am." She quietly said. "That's what I thought. Now, hurry up, peasant!" She yelled, as she slammed the door behind her. She jumped as she heard the crashing noise. She sighed, got up, and quickly went to get the broom. She coughed at all the dust that was in the storage room. The place was absolutely filthy. It was crawling with spiders, moths, and what she feared most, rats. There was just about everything in that one, isolated room. It needed to be cleaned really badly, not that she wanted to clean it. Now where's the broom? She looked at one side of the room and to the other.

Why couldn't she find it? She would have to report this to madam. She walked up to the door and softly knocked. "Who is it?" "It's me, madam, I'm sorry for the intrusion but I can't find the brook in the-" "Well deal with it!" The woman answered back with an icy respond. "Hai…" She said, as she left the door, and returned to the storage area. She continued to search, until, under all the junk, she finally found it.

Too bad it had taken her over an hour. "Is that room swept yet?" She harshly said. "No mada-" "That's it! I'm tired of your slacking, slacker, no dinner for you tonight!" She yelled. "Yes, madam." She huffed her hair out of her face, and went to the room that was supposed to have been swept an hour ago. "Why is it that I'm treated the worst? I wish I could… Just leave this place and never return!" She angrily said to herself and continued to sweep the room. She was soon brought in a daze, only to shake herself, trying to get rid of her thoughts. She then continued to sweep, trying to think of something else.

She was so tired. She barely got any sleep at one time. "If only my parents… Didn't do what they did." She wiped the tears that started to sprinkle down her face. Why couldn't she get over that? Who was she kidding? They had done something that had such an impact on her life. It was because of them she was here, sweeping the floor, isolated in this home as a maid. She could barely remember what had exactly happened, but she had a glimpse of memory left within her. It was when she was little, just about six years old, and was playing outside, only to overhear her parents talking about a decision

**"Are you sure? Isn't that a little cruel? To throw our debts on our only child?" "We have no other choice." "But she's too young, and pure! She has such a bright future, I won't let you ruin it!" Yelled the woman. **"**This discussion isn't to speak your opinion. I'm telling you this because my decision it final. We will give them Ichigo, who, will eventually, pay off all our debts. Think about it. No more late night working. No more fights. No nothing…" "Yeah, and no beautiful, cheerful daughter to be there to plant a smile on our faces. No! I don't agree to this!" "That's too bad. Whether you agree or not, I'm doing this, and that is my final decision!" "No, you can't do this to-" He slapped her across the face, and sent her flying to the ground. "Stay out of it." He then walked outside, grabbed the young girl, and took her to a very un-familiar place. That place, was where she, for the rest of her life, would work, paying all of her parents debts.**

The young girl slapped herself for remembering. She had to forget about it. She had to move on, she couldn't be so worked up on one little thing for so long. She had to get over it. Somehow. She then picked up her broom and began sweeping the room at a fast pace. She wanted to get this over with so she could go to sleep.

That is, if madam let her, which, to her, would be a miracle. Why did she bother calling her madam anyway? She should call her Ms.Satan. She wasn't kind, or merciful! She was a cruel, and mean woman. She was better off being Satan's wife! She brushed off that idea, and continued to work until she was exhausted. "Are you done yet?" The woman yelled as she slowly grew short-tempered. Then again, she was always short-tempered. "Yes ma'am." "Well it's about time! Normally, I would punish you, but I'll let you go off un-hurt this time." Ichigo weakly smiled. Maybe she had some kindness in her soul after all.

"Now, go do the dishes!" Scratch that idea. She was an evil witch. She dragged her broom along the stairs and threw it into clear view. She didn't want to have to search for it again. She then rolled up her sleeves, and got to work with the dishes. After she had completed that, she asked her master for permission to go outside. Her permission was granted, but she had to be back before dark. Normally, a person would say: "But I have to be home before dark." Personally, she didn't accept that place as her home. She thought of it as a punishment she didn't deserve.

She walked through the streets, and ignored all the noisy honking of cars. She smiled as she heard kids laugh and play. She was the only one who deserved this life. She didn't want anyone to have one like hers. A nice way to think about the situation was to take it as a blessing in disguise. God felt that she was responsible enough to endure all the people of Japan's sins. She was happy to think of it that way. After all, that was the only excuse she could come up with. "Get her!" Yelled a deep voice as they ran after the red-haired girl. She creamed and kicked as they grabbed her by the neck and threw her into the car.

"Well, well, looks like we caught a good one this time." Grinned the dark-haired man as he smiled at the pretty and fresh virgin that was lying before him, trapped. "Now, how shall I play with you?" She winced at the man's cold touch. She didn't like him at all. She started to whimper as the man began to take her shirt off. She screamed as he went farther, and became nervous as the sun began to come down.

Madam said she had to come before dark. She didn't even want to think about the punishment she would receive if she were late. "Now, now, hold still." Laughed the man, as he began to move her weak arms. "Aren't you a pretty little one?" Cackled the man as he began to start. She screamed and kicked as the man brought her lips closer his. "Someone, please, help me!" Screamed the girl as she began to cry. Even she didn't deserve this punishment. She closed her eyes and waited for the man to get her. But that wasn't what happened. A flash of wind occurred through the dark air. Apparently, it was night already.

She was surprised to find a person carrying her, far, far, away from the young man. He was well built, and very fast. He jumped on tree to tree as if he could fly. He made it look so easy. He set the young girl down and lowered himself to meet her gaze. "Are you okay?" He kindly said. He then stared at her chest. As much as he wanted her, he wouldn't take her. He would never accept forcing her on him. He pulled her shirt back on, and noticed there was a bright red scar. It was covered in blood. The man had scratched her, and she didn't even bother to notice. He then began to growl and clench his fist until it was bright red. Ichigo was slightly frightened, thinking the figure was angry at her, but she was wrong.

He picked her up once again, and set her on a near-bye park bench. He then began to lick the blood of her cheek as if he was a dog drinking from a pale of water. It shocked her. He was licking her blood. After he stopped, he kissed it. He then whispered into her ears, telling her he would return. He then quickly ran, letting his dark and smooth cape flow with his speed. She then quickly heard a deep scream. It sounded just like the man that had attacked her.

The dark caped man smirked, and threw him onto the street. He then jumped from tree to tree, just like he had done with the young girl, but this time he chose a different path. He appeared in front of the young girl. She became shaken as the figure began to close the gap of space between. Before she knew it, he was sitting right beside her on the bench. He sighed with sadness as she began to move away from him. He grabbed her wrist, with a light grip, and brought her closer to him. "I won't hurt you." He stated.

How could she believe him? She just met him; did he really expect her to listen? "I know that we just met, and that you don't trust me, but don't be scared. I… Just want to help you… For now." She didn't hear the last sentence, but… Did he just answer her question? She didn't remember saying that sentence out loud, so how was it that he was able to respond back? Could he read her mind? What was he? The man didn't respond back, but only lifted her into his arms. "Here, I'll take you home." This time, instead of jumping from tree to tree, he ran. It seemed like he was running at the pace of the wind.

She sighed in content, as she felt the wind brush from her face. It felt good. The man brought her closer to him, close enough to feel her body against his, and grew a tighter grip. She understood why. He began to run even faster. It was strange. How could he run so fast? He certainly couldn't be human, she knew that much. She decided to give up on this guessing game and started to enjoy the time she had left with him. For some reason, it felt comforting near him. It was a strange feeling that she had never felt.

Then again, she was probably thinking to hard, like she always did. It was best to get over it and enjoy this moment in her life. Sure, it was short, but she liked it. They finally arrived to her "home." "Here you go…" He said, as he softly set her down. She blushed and looked the other way, only to get her chin raised up to him. She blushed even redder when he pulled her in for hug. Why was he so forward? Its not like they've met before. The way he was acting, it was as if they had been friends since they were four. Then again, she had to admit; it felt good to be embraced then to be slapped.

She sighed as she rested her shoulder on his. If this were what life was about, she would love it. Being nice and cozy and secure. But good things were meant to be short in her life. The strange man released her, turned around, and was about to run until he felt the girl he had saved lay her hand on his shoulder. She was surprised as he gently took her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it. He then softly smoothed her hand on his cheek. He soon stopped what he was doing, but still held onto her hand. It appeared to him that she wanted to say something.

"Th-Th-Th-Th-Th… Thank you…" She whispered. The man smiled at her. She blushed a deep red. The smile that was placed on his face looked so nice and content. It seemed like that was his first smile. "Your welcome…" He said. The way he said it soothed her. She forgot about all the problems she had to face, she completely forgot about everything. It was as if he had come and erased all her memories. All, but of the ones with them together. "Together." The word sounded so nice. What if there was a "together" in her life? She had never thought anyone would bother with a girl like her.

After all, didn't all the boys these days search for looks, not the heart? She didn't have looks. At least that's what she thought, but she had a heart. A strong heart that would always guide her through the tough times in life. Then again, her whole life was tough. Maybe one good thing could happen… Maybe just one single- Her prayer was answered. At that moment, the strange, yet intriguing man kissed her. Right on the lips! Nice and tight. Smooth and calm. It wasn't rough or possessive. It was kind. Though it was a short kiss, it mattered to her.

Her whole life would be reflected on that kiss. Maybe there really was a person out there who could love her. Had she just found him? Or did he find her? She placed her finger on her lip and madly blushed. She had never felt this before. It was so strange to her. It was like a subject she had never known about. It was proving how little about her she knew. Before she had time to respond, the man quickly ran away, leaving one thing for her. It was a rose. I bright, beautiful, full-bloomed blood red rose.

She picked it up and smelled it. It was so refreshing. She held it tightly to her heart and smiled for the first time in forever. She hugged it as if it were a human. She then stopped hugging it and gasped. Had she ruined the flower? She didn't want to loose a single petal! She smiled. There was no damage done. Maybe some slight damage, but nothing serious. She kissed it, and sighed. She would never let go of the flower. _Never._

_To Be Countinued..._

So... Do you like it? I worked every hard on this chapter! I spell checked, read over it about two times, and fized everything I could. So please, please, please, please, like it! I'm going to put all my effort into this story! As far as I'm concerned, this story is going to have all my heart and soul into it. I'm going to work harder on it than any of my other fan fics. Not that I don't work hard on my other fan fics, but I will work harder than that! Anyway, please, please, please, REVIEW!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Return of her Savior…

"Ichigo, go scrub the floor." "Yes m-" "Forget the politeness, just go do it, you slacker!" Yelled the woman. Ichigo nodded her head and headed toward the kitchen. She winced at how dirty it was. The floor was absolutely horrible! It was covered with dirt that had been there for so long, it dried onto the surface, and refused to come off! There were many dead bugs, and rotten plants lying around in the corners of the drawers that connected to the floor. It was horrible. Completely filthy! It was unbelievable. Surely her mistress wasn't this dirty! Or… Had she made this mess on purpose? Who knew? There was just one thing to do now. Roll up her sleeves and get to work. Ichigo sighed. She wished she had not returned after dark. This was why madam was so mean. Of course, she was always mean, but not this mean. It was because she arrived late yesterday. That's why she was doing this. She would probably never let her go out again. Her whole day had been worse than any other days she had ever experiences.

To think, she would have to put up with this for one whole month. Had she no mercy at all? Its not like she needed her assistance once the sun set. She just had to decide on that rule. She probably thought she wouldn't follow it. Yeah. That's the only reason why she placed that rule on her. It was all her fault for being so stupid, thinking that she would consider what happened, and be somewhat kind. She felt like crying. Letting go all her feelings of despair at one time, but she didn't. There was one simple little thing that kept her going. It was the rose. The delicate, beautiful, priceless rose that had been given to her from a man she never met in her life. Though it was such a simple gift, it meant everything to her. For some reason, the thought of this man made her heart race a thousand miles a second. Whenever she though of him, she just had to smile. It was strange, but comforting. It was something she could never overcome. It was like a dream that would forever haunt her. It was a feeling she had secretly ached for her entire life. She didn't know what it was, or how such a thing started so suddenly, but she knew she liked it. It was one of the only good things that had happened to her. In fact, it was the only good thing that had happened to her. She shook her head out of her trance of feelings. _Work now, think later. _That was the way things had to go if she wanted any time to go out. That is, if madam let her. She rolled up her sleeves, and began to get to work. Grabbing the yellow sponge from the top of the counter, she began to work. Going back and forth, dipping the sponge in soapy clean water.

Scrubbing, scrubbing, scrubbing. That was what her day was about. It would be a miracle if she managed to finish it and have time to go out. Just a simple walk was all she craved for. And for the chance to meet that man again. It was true, that even though madam treated her badly, she always made sure she wore the best of clothes. Her working clothes were nice and smooth, and her outdoor clothes were perfect. But having good clothes and living with a rich mistress made no difference to her. She wanted to be free. Free. Free. Free! That's all she wanted. All she wanted was to be free. Free from everything. Free from her dreaded life, treatment, and most of all, the memories of her parents. It seemed like anything she thought of brought back bad memories. All, but the thoughts of the man she met. His well-built body, his confidence, his kindness, his smile, the touch of his soft lips, they were all good memories, but were even better in real life. They were the most soothing things she had ever though of. She continued to think about the man, not minding the work she had before her. Sweeping the bugs away, throwing the rotted plants away, cleaning the dirt, and so on. She didn't mind it at all because of a meeting with a man. The first that had been so kind to her, and treated her like a real human… The first one she ever cared about.

"Madam?" She politely asked. "Yes…?" She asked in annoyance as she began to munch on some chips as she watched a movie. "May I go out?" She quietly asked. "Depends." "On… What?" "Will you follow the rules this time and come before dark?" "Yes, I'll try my best." "Very well, but if you fail once again, you are never allowed to go out again, you here?" Ichigo smiled. "Yes ma'am!" Maybe it was her imagination, but for the first time in her life, she though she had seen her mistress smile. It was a small and weak smile, but it still counted. "Did you just…" "Did I just what?" "Never mind." Ichigo said. Her mistress had never smile before, why now? That wasn't what she was concentrating on anyway. She couldn't wait to go outside again and meet the man she had before. Hopefully he would come again. He would. Wouldn't he? Or maybe he would only come if she were in trouble? Oh how she hoped that weren't true. She just had to see him. She had too! She quickly ran upstairs and presented to herself a new pair of clothing. She then went to her purse, and grabbed any amount of money she had. Yes, it was surprising, but if her madam were surprisingly pleased with her, she would give her money. She sat and counted how much she had. $600.00. Just enough to do something fun for a long period of times. She put five hundred dollars back, and only brought along a hundred dollars. She hid it in her pocket and began to walk out of the house. She softly shut the door behind her, and started her walk. Making sure no man were to try and rape her again, she looked side to side, making sure no men, or any people, were following her. No one was. Thank god!

She sighed in relaxation. The real fun was about to begin now. The question was, what should she do? Should she go to a restaurant and buy herself an expensive dinner, or should she… The answer came to her. And amusement park! Perfect! She could go ride the many roller coasters they had, and have fun! That was it! She would go to the amusement park and go on rides! Perfect. She began a quick pace of running and began to head toward her destination. Once arriving there, she entered, of course, paying for her ticket first, and receiving a green wristband that allowed her to go on all the rides. She looked in front of her, deciding on which one to go on. Right in front of her, was the biggest ride in the park. Rising in the air that seemed to be at least a thousand feet, surrounded by silver bars, and colored in red. It looked fun. She was definitely going to go on it. She entered the line of people and, after waiting some time, got her turn. "Please present your wristband, miss." Ichigo help out her green wristband, and the man nodded. Choosing which seat to go on, she chose the back. She closed her eyes, gripped the handlebars, and waited for the ride to began. After a few seconds of loading passengers, the ride began. It started at a very steep slope, from there; you were released into the many swirling tracks. After many minutes of screaming and laughing, she realized on thing. She had no seatbelt! Not only did you need handle bars, but seatbelts as well.

The up-coming part proved her worry right. At that moment she was spun upside down, having her head on the fast air and her hands on nothing to hold. She had no seatbelt. She was going to fall down. She was going to die! She couldn't die yet! She couldn't die without ever meeting that man. She had to meet him! But it was late. Before she knew it, she fell out of the seat, and was holding on for dear life on the metal bars of the tracks. She began to scream, alerting the people below her. People gasped, seeing the hanging girl hanging on for dear life. She began to cry out for help, and even began to cry in fear. Was this how things were meant to turn out? She was to die on the tracks of a very populated park? And this was built for fun! She wasn't having much fun right now! No fun at all! Tears began to fall from her face and reach the pavement of the ground. She needed help. "Help… Anybody…" She said, beginning to loose conciseness. Her grip on the tracks became looser and looser. That was it. It was the end for her. She would die in only a matter of seconds. To think, she had never been able to accomplish anything in her life. Nothing at all, not any of her dreams, nothing. Nothing a person was supposed to accomplish in their life. "Bye-bye world…" She said, continuing to cry. She was so scared. That was it. She was hanging on a single finger.

It began to twist to the side, until it fell off, making her fall. She began to scream. This was the end to her. It was the- "I came just in time." Said a familiar voice. Ichigo gasped. It was the man she met yesterday! She couldn't think of a single thing to say, as the people below her began to witness a dark blur of speed, as the man jumped off the air and landed at what seem like a mile from the park. He wiped away all her tears, and began to make her grow calm. He hugged her, and reassured her that she was all right. After she was finally calm, he began to talk to her. "Are you all right?" He sweetly asked, as Ichigo lay in his arms. "Uhuh…" She softly responded to him. "Good." He said with a forward response. "As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you, okay? So if you're ever in trouble, don't worry, I'll be there for you." The man said, quietly whispering it into her ear. Ichigo was dumb struck. The man wanted to protect her? But why? "I want to protect you because I l-" He stopped talking. That was close. It almost slipped. He couldn't let her know what he thought yet.

He would have to wait until she was ready. Or at least until he thought the time was right. "I want to protect you because I feel like it." Ichigo's smile turned into a frown. So the only reason why he was protecting her wasn't because he cared for her, it was because he felt like it? Her hope shredded into a million pieces. She thought she had found the one and only person who actually cared about her, but she was wrong. He didn't care for her at all! "Damn it." The man cursed to himself. That wasn't what he wanted to say! Darn it, he wanted to tell her how much he cared for her! How he thought of her day and night, and worried about her. Nothing but thoughts of her haunted his mind. Ichigo sighed. It was over. She gave up. There wasn't a single person out there that cared for her. Not a soul.

"That… That wasn't what I meant to say… I meant that I-" "Its okay." Ichigo said, cutting him off on his sentence. "I didn't think anyone would ever care for me anyway. You just proved my point." Ichigo said sadly. Just when she thought she had found him. The one and only person that was special. The one person she could care for, and he could care for. Maybe this was all to dramatized. Thinking that one meeting meant that they were meant together forever. How ironic. How she ever thought of the idea was a mystery to her. Was she so desperate that she would grow attached to him so fast? How stupid. She should have known that. She should have damn well known that. The man continued to read her thoughts, making him regret ever saying what he had to her. Every word made him tense up in regret. How could he do that to her? The one person he… _cared _about though he didn't care. Maybe his friends were right. A _monster _and a human could never love each other. But that didn't stop him. He roughly turned her around, pushed her into a tree and placed his lips onto hers.

His hands roamed onto her waist, and pulled her in. Ichigo grew shaken, but still had the strength to stand. The man pulled into her lips as much as possible, and began to moan the feel of her lips. After a few seconds, Ichigo grew into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in more. The two shared some breathless moments as they began to lip-lock every times they regained their breath. It was a wonderful feeling Ichigo experienced. It flowed throughout her whole entire body. She then gasped between the kiss. She stared into the sky, and was shaken. It was past dark! She should have been home minutes ago! She pulled away from the man kiss and dropped to the ground. Not only was this the deepest kiss she had ever experienced, but she also was kissing with a total stranger! A person she only knew for two meetings! The man bent down and hugged her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "I-I-I-I… I was supposed to be back… by now." She said, with tears in her eyes. "She said that if I wasn't back by dark, I wouldn't be allowed to go out anymore." The man's eyes grew wide. _She would loose the only freedom she had? _He grew a serious face and made a decision that came to him as quick as a whip. _I can't let that happen! _He immediately picked her off the ground, and carried her on his lap bridal style. He then ran as fast as he possibly could, which to Ichigo, was the scariest thing she had ever had happening to her. She hid her face in his chest, not wanting to think about what her mistress would say. After a few seconds, they arrived there. He gently put her back on the ground, and met her gaze. "I know your scared about what she'll say. Don't worry. Remember what I said?" He told her. Ichigo nodded. "As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you. So if you're ever in trouble, don't worry, I'll be there for you."

Ichigo weakly smiled, but quickly stared at the ground in despair. "But what could you do?" He grinned. "There are many unique things I can do that you don't know yet. Just leave it to me." "Okay… But what are you going to do?" "Erase her memories." "All of them?" She asked. "No. Not all. Just the memory of when she told you that you had to be home before dark." "You can do that?" She said, looking up at him. He nodded. He then pushed her into his arms once more and began to erase the woman's memories. He closed his eyes, and began to concentrate. Entering her mind, erasing her memory of that once scene… It was all too simple to him. As Ichigo began to lay one hand on his chest, she looked at the man and stared at him. He was concentrating very strongly. She continued to stare at him, and for the first time, she began to notice his features. He had dark hair. It had a slight bit of yellow mixed into the color. She wasn't sure what color his eyes were, even after the many times she looked into his kind eyes. But there was one thing that struck her mind with a bang. He had his mouth open, letting her stare at his teeth. And… They didn't look much like a humans. They… Were very sharp and pointy and-

"What are you staring at?" She squealed in surprise. He was done already? "N-N-N…Nothing…" She said, looking the other way. He began to chuckle as he noticed the bright red blush that began to creep on her face. "Anyway, everything should be fine. So, you can go in… Now…" He said. She nodded her head and walked up to the steps of her house, as he stayed right at the spot he had arrived at. He looked at her as fumbled, trying to find the right key. The door was locked, so, being smart, she always remembered to bring along a key; just in case. While she fumbled through the many keys, the man was speechless. He didn't know what to tell her. And what he _wanted_ to tell her, he _couldn't_. Ichigo sighed as she finally found the right key that allowed her into the house. But before she stuck the key into the lock she stared at the man before her. She didn't know what to say to him. After all he had done, a simple "thank you" would be nowhere near enough.

"Umm… I…" She began to say. The man walked up to her, and placed a finger on her lips. He pulled her into a hug, and rested his neck on her shoulder, and began to smell her sweet hair. "You're beautiful…" Ichigo was shocked. No one had ever said that to her before. Did he really mean what he said? "I'll see you soon…" He said, placing his lips onto hers once more. And with that, he disappeared into the night sky, and left one thing behind. This time it wasn't a rose. It was a necklace, with a bright pink heart locket in the center. She opened it, and was dumb struck. The moment she opened it, a rose popped out. To think, it came out in perfect condition! Fitting a rose into a heart locket as small as her thumb was enough of a miracle, but to have a rose come out in perfect condition! That was the work of pure magic! She smiled, as she picked the flower out of the locket and closed it.

Then, she laid the rose gently onto the cold floor, took the two ends of the chain, and took them apart. She then twirled her hair into the air, and clipped the necklace onto her neck. She then picked up the rose and laughed. She had received two things on one night! These were items she would forever take care of, and treasure. She stuck the key into the lock, with the rose in her hand, and entered the house. She laughed as she found her mistress asleep with the TV on. She quietly walked to the TV, turned it off, and headed upstairs. She then put her nightclothes on, and entered her soft, warm bed, keeping the necklace on, and leaving the rose in a vase she has filled up with water before. In there, it still held the flower she had before. Before leaving to the park, she put it in the vase to make sure it would still keep its beautiful color of blood red. Now she had two flowers, and a necklace she would keep to herself forever.

She then dozed off, falling into a deep sleep, not knowing that the man was still watching her. Her window was still open, so he entered inside. He smiled as he saw the two roses in the vase, and blushed as he saw the pendant he had given her on her neck. He kneeled to the floor and laid his head on her chest, staring at her calm face. He would love to see her like this all the time. So calm, peaceful, and joyous. But he knew. The hardships ahead for the two of them might take away that smile of hers. Maybe they wouldn't have a future together.

Maybe he should stop seeing her…

* * *

Oh my god! I can't believe I'm finally done! This took me a long time to type! I spent a longer time typing it and checking it than the last chapter. The last chapter was three pages long (not including spaces) and this one is five pages long (not including spaces). Anyway, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEASE, REVIEW!

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Also, if you know anyone who likes this pair, or might like this fan fic, please recommend it to them! It's a little disappointing that my best work isn't getting much notice. Please, tell others about this fan fic! And if they didn't like my other fan fics, tell them this is my best one, and that I worked the hardest on this! So please, please, tell other people! I need more reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Building Hopes…

"Darn it son! How many times do I have to tell you? A human will never love us…! We're… We're monsters! We've been shunned by the human race for centuries! You think because of one girl you can change everything? You're being very foolish, son!" He yelled to his son, with anger and worry in his voice. He couldn't let this go on… He couldn't! "But… But I love her! And, I think she like's me as well! She hasn't said anything about me-" "Prove it to me. What do you have so much confidence in? What is going on in that head of yours! Tell me! What makes you think she loves you…?" He asked.

He was tired of arguing. Maybe if he got proof of there love for each other he could be a bit more flexible, but he wasn't just going to let his son ruin his future over a human girl! It wasn't the fact that he was mad about his son falling in love; he was worried and mad that the human girl would reject him. He didn't want his son to feel such pain. He didn't want him to experience the pain and though of rejection… Like he had… It was strange. It seemed like every generation of their family fell in love with a human. His other son, his oldest one, fell in love as well.

So did his youngest son, and now him too? His other two sons were lucky and were able to get their object of desire because they were different. They were originally humans that were turned into their kind. They knew what it felt like to be in the outside world. They knew what they were thinking, and how they felt about things. They had experience. The full-grown, strong, and kind-hearted man before him was him most precious son. Why, may you ask? He wasn't adopted. He held the living blood of him, and his mother. He also resembled his mother's personality. His headstrong, and "never give up!" attitude had to be one of the things he inherited from his mother.

He was special. He was the only thing he had left of the woman he loved. He wanted him to be happy. He wanted the best woman out there for him. If the human loved him, he would allow him to see her. But if she didn't – "I kiss….ed…Her." He whispered out. His father grew shocked. Had he just heard his son correctly? He what? "What did you say?" He intently asked. "I k-k-k-k-" "Just say it!" He roared. Kish's eyes grew with anger, as his hands grew into fists that darkened into red. "I kissed her!" He yelled out as loud as he could. He brought his eyes to the ground in sadness. Maybe he shouldn't have said that.

His father nodded his head and sighed. "Very well. Please, just make a promise to me, neither of you will leave each other heartbroken?" He asked, as he stared at the wall. This talk with his son was pointless. Making him come to his room, talking to him as he stood and leaned atop the light green walls. The whole talk with his son was pointless, but he had to smile. That was one of the many traits that reminded him of his mother. "I… I promise!"

He said, as he yelled with a loud and determined voice. He laughed, quickly leaving the room. He was now set. His only focus now was the girl he loved: Ichigo. But the doubt he held in his mind was un-bearing. Would she accept him for whom he was? Or would she run in fear? Surely there could be a possibility for their future; right? He decided to ignore the voice of doubt that was in his mind, and make a move. Brining her to his home. That was what he wanted… That's what he needed. Seeing her last night was breath taking. The un-awakened beauty she held in herself. Her kindness, her feelings, they were all so real and loveable. He loved how she was so honest with him.

No lying, no complaining, just being happy with what she got. Now, it was his turn, to give her more. He was going to give her a future. A future with them together… Forever. The innocent girl smiled, as she awoke from her bed. It was strange, how she could of sworn she felt someone in the bed with her. Or maybe she was imagining things? The moment that though came to her mind, and answer came even faster. It was him. It… Was that man! It had to be! The thought of him sleeping with her every night made her tingle with embarrassment and possibility. She closed her eyes and began to imagine.

What if that ever came true? What if…? What if…? What if-- She grew dizzy from the what if's that popped in her head every second. This was all too much for her. She was ready to collapse on the ground until she heard something. It was a chuckle. Someone was laughing, and laughing hard at that. She had no idea who it was, but it sounded familiar. Then again, that didn't matter to her; she was happy to bring joy to anyone's face. "Who is it…?" She asked, opening her eyes, searching for any slight sound of movement or another laugh. She couldn't find it. Maybe it was coming from— "Boo." Ichigo screamed as loud as her lungs allowed her with the air she held. "Calm down, Ichigo, it's me." He said, pulling her into a hug from behind. Well, she found the person. It was that… man… Too bad she let him scare her.

She was always such a sucker! "What's with the sudden appearance?" She asked. He usually never came unless she in trouble, but this time, it seemed different. When she turned around to face him, the look on his face was different. It was dead serious, and held worry and pain within the eyes. " Ichigo… If I weren't human… Would you still lo… Like me?" He asked, as he pulled her into another hug. This was the most kind and gentle hug she had ever received from him. He nuzzled up to her neck and even kissed it; brushing his soft, smooth lips across her warm, gentle neck. "Ichigo… The way I feel…. The lust I have within myself… I can't… Hold it much longer…" He brought her lips to his in a quick instant. Pulling in as far as he possibly could. Ichigo sighed in pleasure and confusion. What did he mean? What lust? Surely he wasn't that into her.

He would get over her, wouldn't he? "Ichigo… That's a good name for you…" He said, looking at her in the eyes. "Th-th-th… Thanks…." She said, pulling away from his eyes, trying to hide the deep blush that appeared by turning in the other direction. "You're so sweet…" He said, smiling only to her again. Why was it that these feelings that he had never revealed to anyone always seemed to emerge when he was with her? "Ichigo… Can you answer my question?"

He kindly said, whispering into her ear. "O…kay, but why?" "I… Well, it's kind of hard to explain, but-" "I already know that you're not human. In fact, I figured that out after the first day. The second day only made me more positive of what I thought. There's no way I human could do what you can. I'm a little frightened, but also curious. I don't know exactly what you are, but all I know is that you're very kind… And I like you as well." She finally confessed what she wanted to say. Whispering it to him made her feel better; knowing she didn't have to keep it a secret from him. Besides, she wanted him to know she liked him. She didn't know if it was anymore than that, but she knew that much. His response was surprising, though. "I… I…" He pushed her into his chest, and covered her body with his dark black cape. He nuzzled up to her neck as tears began to roll down to her neck. Was he crying? "Um?" Did she say something wrong? "I… Was so scared… You'd…"

Deciding to show his feelings for her, he decided not on words, but a kiss. Pulling her in for another obsessed kiss. But this one was a little different. He went one step higher. Inserting his tongue pulled the tension between them. Roaming in the inside of her mouth was like exploring a different world. After finishing his exploration, he stopped. He sighed, and stared into her eyes. It didn't look like she reacted very well. "Wha… I…." He began to grow a grip on her hand. Why was she so…? Pulling herself out of his imprisonment, she fell to the ground, getting rid of the grip he had on her hand. Sitting up on the floor, arms stretched back, ready to crawl away, and eyes as wide as possible. Laying her finger onto her mouth, staggering away from him. The way she was made him sad. Was this as far as she would ever let him go?

He bent down to the floor and stared deeply into her beautiful sparkling eyes. ""Did I do something you don't like?" He said, with a curious voice. Brushing her soft hair out of her face, kissing her forehead, and taking her hand into his was all he did to make her feel better. She lay there speechless as he began to stare at her body. Her elegant curves, soft and smooth body, and beautiful shape all appealed to him. It wasn't just her beauty, but her personality that he loved. Her laugh, her smile, her kindness, it all came with this one young girl. Knowing that he could possibly take that away made him regret ever coming. He didn't want her to feel miserable, he wanted her to be happy. "Ichigo, I'm sorry." He pushed her into a hug, letting her head rest on his neck.

"I know." She responded back to him. "Is there any chance we could go somewhere? I… Want to go somewhere…" "Sure. No problem Ichigo. But before we go, Ichigo. I have one question." She looked up into his eyes once more. "Do you trust me?" She nodded. "Okay then, everything should be fine." Picking her from the ground, and landing her into his arms was a simple task for him. "What are we going to do about-" "I'll take care of it like I did before." He answered. "What are you going to do?" "I'll knock her into a sleep that should last a day." "Are you sure she'll wake up after a day?" "I'm sure."

"Will it hurt her in anyway?" "No, I promise." "Okay then." He had to smile. He loved how she was so kind and un-selfish. Knocking the woman into a sleep was simple. All he simply did was send her a shock wave that went to her brain. It was like a sleeping spell; a curse she wouldn't wake from until after a day. It wasn't anything serious, for it was only for on day. "I'm done." "That was fast." "Well I'm a fast person." He said, grinning, and giving her a confident smirk, and soon after winking at her with a smile. "Uhh…" She began to say, as she hid her blood red face in his chest. "Awww, you're so cute, did you know that?"

He said, pulling her from her hiding spot. He then kissed her on the top of the head and smiled once again. She loved the way he smiled; it made her feel happy, and all tingly inside. She couldn't explain why, though. "Let's go now. Only one thing though: do you want to change into something else?" He asked her. "Umm… I don't really-" "I understand. It's okay."

"Well, my master is rich, and she provides me with clothes, but I don't really have any for going out. The others time I just took things out of uniforms and put them together…" She said, trying to explain how she was able to wear those clothes at the times they met. "It's okay. Tell you what, I'll get you something." "N-N-N… No! I don't want to be of tr-" "Your no trouble to me, my strawberry." "But-" "No buts. Now do you mind waiting for about five minutes?" She shook her head no.

"Of course, I could always take you with me. You want to come?" He asked, giving her opportunity. He wanted her to know she had any option she wanted. He wanted to show her freedom of choice; and let her now that he trusted her. If she wanted to come, she would. It was as simple as that. Curiosity began to fill Ichigo's mind as she debated on whether or not to say no or yes. "I don't want to be nosey…" "Don't worry, your not being nosey.

I invited you after all, right?" He said, proving his point. Ichigo nodded her head. "Very well, then, it's settled! You're coming with me." He pulled her closer to him. "You ready?" She nodded. On there way to wherever; Ichigo had no idea where; she couldn't help but be a little cold.

Being in a thin pair of matching blue pajamas wasn't very warm when you were running as fast as the wind. Of course, he quickly noticed, and began to warm her up by closing her into his cape, and brining her close to his body. It flustered her at first, but she got over it. She rested her head, closed her eyes, and began to relax into the wind. Having no worries was the best feeling she ever had. He sighed in content, as he looked at how relaxed she was.

To think, after only meeting two times, she had enough trust in him to let him take her to a place she's never been too; not to mention they were going to leave for somewhere else as where once he got her something to wear. It really didn't matter to him what she was wearing; but for fun, why not let her wear something special? The poor girl didn't get much attention; surely he could give her a new chance at least once.

Looking ahead of him, passing through the many trees, running into the rough current of the wind, as the sun set on them, he began to become even more familiar with his surroundings. He stopped running, jumped off the tree, and landed with perfect balance. Looking at the girl's calm face made him feel good. It was a shame he had to wake her. Gently shaking her, she began to wake. Her eyelids began to awake, as she met with the eyes of the man.

She had a short glimpse of the insides of his eyes, but she could tell they were a mix of two colors. Which? She didn't know. It was strange how she had only known him from the two meetings, yet she had so much trust in him. She didn't know who he was. What he was, or anything else. She didn't know anything. That made her curious, yet a little sad. He was always being kind to her; wasn't there anything she could do for him? She had to pay him back some way. She didn't know his deep features, his name, what he was, or why he was so interested.

There whole relationship was clouded by black mystery. It made her a little upset, knowing that she knew so little. She wasn't of any help; so why was he helping her like this? Was he expecting payback? Was that it? If that was the case, what could she give him? Knowing that made her realize one thing. She had nothing at all. She had no family, no relatives, no friends, no nothing. She had nothing. She didn't have a boyfriend, or a husband. She didn't have a man she loved…. Or did she?

She had nothing. But he proved her wrong. He showed her one thing. She had him. Yes. She had him! He was always there for her; caring for her, taking her places, protecting her, and being there for her through rough times. He always found a way to give her what she wanted. He let her have fun, freedom, and she gave him trust, in return. That was it. That's what she could give. That's what he wanted! Trust. He wanted trust, and that's what she would give him! When he asked her earlier, before taking her here, he asked her whether or not she trusted him, and she did. She was giving him what he wanted the whole time. Trust.

That's exactly what he wanted…. "Ichigo?" "Hmm?" "Um… We're here… Sorry for waking you up." He quietly said, trying to slowly wake her so that she had all the time she needed to get up. He didn't want to rush her. She opened her eyes, and began to notice her surroundings. She was surprised. It was strange! It was pitch dark, like it was night. But how could that be possible? It was morning! The sky should be bright, and filled with sun, so why was it so dark? He could sense the confusion in her thoughts, and decided to explain it later, when she… When she would start to live with him.

At least he hoped they could learn to trust each other to that point. "Follow me." He said, setting her onto the ground so that she could walk on her own. Grabbing her hand, and guiding her through the pitch-black area wasn't too hard of a task. Sure, she tripped over thing once in a while; but for a person who had never wondered through such an isolated area before, she did pretty well. "We're almost there; just a little farther to go."

He said, looking at her, as she stared at the ground watching her feet, not noticing the stare that came from him. He brought his eyes back ahead of him, and stopped when they finally arrived. How far had they walked? A mile? Walking through a pure black area that seemed to never end was strange, and scary. But she wasn't the one to complain. He offered an idea to her, and she accepted. Besides. It wasn't that bad. It was more of an adventure to her.

"We're here, Ichigo." He stated. She nodded her head, as they began to walk into the building where they met someone. "You're back! Finally! I though you would never return! Are you okay-" The girl began to say, as she gave him a fake smile; as she was just about to announce his name. "Get away from me." He hissed at the girl. "I know your tricks, and I know what your up to! Buzz off; I have no interest in you! You're just a spoiled little brat who thinks of no one but herself." He harshly yelled at her. She nodded her head and ran away.

Who was that girl? "Ichigo, I know you must think I was being very mean at the moment, but believe me; she isn't as good and nice as she appears to be. She tricks others into doing things for her, and she manipulates people. She just wants to prove her power over people, so she has a thing for high and mighty men. She just about wasted all the others, and is now after the one man who has never been affected by her, the one man she has never been able to win over; me." He angrily spitted out. He hated this girl. She was the complete opposite of Ichigo; she was rude, spoiled, a player, a faker, a destroyer, evil, and just about every other despicable thing left in the world. "But you're not like her." He began to softly say, quieting down from his pervious voice.

"And that's what I really like about you. You're kind, unselfish, polite, and will do anything for another person's happiness. You never think of yourself; but that's also one of the problems. Ichigo, you need to start thinking about yourself. You can't just live to carry out the duties of others. You need to think of yourself, don't you understand? And that's what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to give you freedom and space, okay?"

He whispered into her ear, and embraced her once again. He just loved hugging her. Feeling the presence of her body against his, feeling her soft skin, her beautiful smell, and he loved making her feel good. Having the feeling of safety was one of the many things she needed. "Thanks, but I don't want to bother you. I mean, you need to do things for yourself; right?" She said, as he kept her in the same embrace. "Nothing will make me happier but knowing that you are happy, Ichigo. You need to know that." He responded back, and started to stare deeply into her eyes. After smiling at her for a split-second, he let her go and started walking down the hall. Of course, Ichigo was closely following his path. Staring at the beautifully designed walls, and the lit up hallways brightened her up with much curiosity. Without realizing it, he stopped walking in front of a door; and Ichigo, who was still staring, everywhere didn't know, and eventually tripped over his feet. "You okay? I'm sorry I didn't catch you.

I didn't think you would trip." He said, bending down to the ground, and lifting her back on her foot. He began to laugh at her clumsiness. Ichigo mentally hit herself for tripping over him, and blushed to death as she began to apologize for her mistake over and over. "It's okay, Ichigo. Though I must say, that was kinda funny." He responded back, as his hands rested over his head, and he began to laugh a little more before stopping. "Anyway, here we are. Pick anything you want." Opening the door, and turning on the lights revealed what he had hidden.

"Umm… Go ahead and choose anything, I guess." Ichigo nodded her head and just spazzed out when she saw how huge the closet was. "Wow." She stated with wide-eyes. "Maybe you should pick. I really don't know." She explained, as her eyes began to swirl around in dizziness. "Are you sure? I thought you would want to pick something." She responded with a nod. "Well, I thought you would look good in this. Of course, you look good in anything." The last comment made her blush, until he added to his compliment. "You would also look good with nothing at all." He said, grinning at her. "Pervert." She whispered. He chuckled, as she finally brought out what he wanted. It looked similar to what the woman she met before wore.

Why did he want her to wear it if it was what she was wearing? Did he like her looks, or the dress? Or did he want her to start looking like her? But that didn't make sense! He said he didn't like her. Knowing that she was wearing something like the woman she met made her jealous. She didn't know why she was acting like this. She sighed and decided to give it a chance. He noticed her uneasiness and decided to check what was wrong. "Anything wrong?" He asked. Why was she acting mad? Did she not like the dress or was it—Was that it? Now that he thought about it, the dress did look like the one that awful girl wore. Was that what she was mad about?

Was she actually jealous over him? Reading her mind made him sure of himself. She was jealous. It made him happy that she would like him that much; knowing how much he "liked" her. Of course, he knew it was much more then that. It was just her turn to realize that. "'I didn't choose it because it looked like the other girl. I chose it because I thought it would look good on you, but if you don't like it, that's fine." He explained to her. Her face lightened up once he explained that to her, and she agreed to let him choose her a different outfit. He would always choose the most revealing outfits.

She refused to wear anything revealing, and he fussed a little until they came to a compromise. "I love it!" She said, as she twirled around in the dress. It was strapless, and the whole design was very simply, but beautiful. It was all black, but sparkled with red. The red of the dress sparkled out and really stood out, going perfectly with the black. "I'm glad you do. I like it as well." He said, eyeing the dress and nodding his head in agreement. "Should we go now?" He asked her. She nodded her head, but refused to go out until she thanked him.

"Thank you." She said, bowing down, letting her hair droop to the floor, but never touching it. He smiled, and brought her up from the bow. After that, he just simply picked her up, and headed out the door. After arriving outside, he began his quick run through the tress. Resting her neck on his shoulder, she let her dress drape in the wind, and her hair swing in the fast air around them as well. He then began to get a little rougher and ran even faster, jumping from tree to tree at a roughly fast pace.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, as he continued to hear the small squeaks of surprise each time they jumped off to another tree. "Just a little frightened." Hugging her a little tighter, he assured her they would be all right. She simply smiled, telling him that she trusted him. Happy to hear that, he nodded his head and began to run once again, but this time, he chose to run on the ground, making the trip somewhat smoother. "Where are we going?" She questioned, in a confused way. "That's my secret. You'll have to see to find out, but I know you'll like it." Smirking, he began to slow down as he approached his destination. "All…right…"

She whispered, as she began to stare up at his face, as he paid attention to what was in front of him. She was excited to spend time with him. He was so nice and kind to her; he was also interesting, intriguing, suspenseful, and funny. Yes it was true. At first stare, you would think of him as the cruel kind of person. One that never gives in, is rude, evil, unable to be trusted, unreliable, and could never bring joy to someone's face, but that was nowhere near the truth. His dark hair, eyes, and look gave out an unsure aura, but that meant nothing. He proved that looks were deceiving. It was true, at first look you would be scared away, but once you got to know him, you would learn to like him, and realize how kind he was. And funny. He always brought a smile to her face, and that made her happy. Though he had a few flaws, but that meant nothing, especially when he put an effort to actually try and fix it.

He truly tried his best to satisfy others. Of course, he wanted to be satisfied as well, and though that may lead him into wrong directions, he always took the time to fix them. That was one of the many thing she liked about him. Then again, she didn't know much about him anyway. She knew so much, yet so little. If she knew all of this, why was it that the simple and easy details were a mystery to her? She didn't even know his name! She didn't know what color his hair was; yet she has seen it so many times. She was never given the time to just sit there and stare at him. His eye color, his hair color, his name, and what he was. They were all a mystery, and it made her a little angry. She wanted to know so much more than what she knew about him. This proved how un-normal this relationship was. Normally, before a person began to date, they would get to know the person.

Their name, were like, what they looked like, what they were like, etc. But that was all clouded. It was as if that had all been planned, and he was only allowed to give out bits and pieces slowly. Curiosity drove her crazy at time, especially when it was about him. She didn't think it was fair. He seemed to know everything about her. He knew her name, looks, her past and where she was living, and so on. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she know just as much? The thought of someone knowing more than her made her grow angry and grow with envy and jealous. He probably didn't trust her very much. Wasn't it a fact that those who knew more about a person were better trusted? All the people who he knew well he probably trusted with all he had. It wasn't fair! It just wasn't! Her jealousy grew more by the second. "Ichigo…?" "Hmm?" "Do… Are you all right?" He said, changing his sentence. She nodded with a fake smile, knowing it was all a lie. Feeling her uneasiness, he knew it was a lie. She wasn't all right, so what was the problem? "Ichigo… Don't… Don't… Don't you _dare ever lie to me again!" _

He yelled with anger, sadness, and concern in his voice at once. Landing on the ground, he shook her back and forth with force, as his eyes grew red. Being pushed into a nearby tree, he raised her arms above her head, and began to have his hands roughly roam over her entire body. Wincing in fear, she began whimper, as he dug his fingers into her soft, delicate skin. Having the sudden urge to taste her blood, be bit into her neck, not caring that it would hurt. He didn't know why, but whenever he was angry, he grew with rash acts. One after the other, doing things he always regretted later in time. Biting deeply into her neck, he began to draw blood as she began to scream, and yell in pain. Kicking in a riot, he kicked both legs, leaving them hurt. She finally gave up, and realized he was the one with all the power. Then again, she knew that from the start.

Tasting her warm, red, watery blood, he began to want more. The taste of her blood was absolutely delicious, and he loved every lick. Licking the dripping blood that cam from the two cornered bite, he began to feel the girl go weak. The loss of blood began to affect her, and she became dizzy and weak. "S…Stop… Please…" She managed to whimper out. Being snapped back into reality and time, he suddenly stopped. Licking his lips, he began to heal the open bite he created. He didn't understand why, but a wave of lust just came over him, and he couldn't control it any way. Now _look_ at what _he just did_. He… He did the one thing that he vowed to never do! He said he would never hurt her… And he just broke that promise! He just lost all the trust he had gained from her, fixing things would be difficult, especially since he had just given away his identity, pretty much.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was. Having Ichigo lay before him, eyes loosing their bright sparkle, sadness, fear, all rolled into one broke his heart. What he had just done… It was un-forgivable! "I-I-I… I can't believe I just did that!" He yelled out loud. Ichigo didn't bother to respond, because she knew exactly what he was going to say. 'I'm sorry! Please, please, forgive me!' Well she wouldn't trust him once again by such simple words like that. What he had just done was the scariest thing se had ever faced. It still confused her. Why did he do that? Remembering how the argument started cleared her answer. She lied to him. Saying that she was all right, and somehow, he knew she wasn't. But what he did to her wasn't nearly as wrong as what she did to him. All she did was tell him a simple lie… He had tortured her! "I… Don't know what to say…" He whispered to her. 'What an answer: I don't know what to say…! Great, just great! What is he going to say now? _Will you forgive me if I give you chocolate? _

I swear! He sounded so desperate to get her trust back. Well he just lost her. He completely lost—' Her thoughts were cut short when she felt embraced into his warm chest, and he began to whisper three simple words that meant everything to her. "I love you." Such three simple words had such an effect on her! It was strange. No one had ever told her such words. She always thought he thought of her as a close friend… But as a lover? Her head filled with sadness and question as she thought about what he said. Why was it that such simple words were affecting her so much? It was driving her mad.

Completely insane! It—"And I'm sorry… I'll leave, and never return if you want. We were supposed to have fun… But…" Her mind mentally screamed out. 'No! Don't love me! I… I need you! I… As well…' Why couldn't she find the word? She what… What? Her mind was filled with such confusion, it scared her. Why couldn't she say anything? "I see… Well, I'll be going…" Unraveling his arms from her, he turned around.

She gasped as she saw pure liquid tears drip down his face. Was he crying…? "Bye… Forever…" Why were things happening so fast…? Why… "No!" She yelled as loud as she could, nearly roaring as loud as lion. She didn't want him to leave! She… She didn't know what it was, but she needed him! She cared for him… She… She something! She ran to him as fast as she could, and began to cry on his shoulder. "Please, please, don't go! It's not your fault, I'm sure you didn't meant to do what you did!" She yelled into his ear. Tears began to violently sprinkle down her face and into his neck. "Please… Don't leave me…!" She loudly whispered at his face. Shocked, he didn't know what to say. She cared about him this much?

Did that mean it wasn't over? Did she still like him? Reading him like a book, she answered him. "No… It can't be over… I need you!" She yelled through sobbing noises and tears. "Ichigo… My… I…" Turning around and pulling her into the closest hug he had ever had with her, his hand lay on her breasts, and he began to pull into a deep kiss. Having Ichigo pull harder into the kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him enter her mouth. Letting his tongue roam in her mouth was like accomplishing a step higher.

Pulling in as hard and deep as they could, her cheeks began to turn read. Moaning as his free hand rubbed against her body, soothing it out, as his other hand held a grip on her waist. Not wanting to let go, he decided to when he felt Ichigo gasp for air. Pulling away left a spity sound of separation.. Ichigo heaved and gasped for air, as her cheeks slowly began to grow lighter, and eventually into her original skin color. "I love you… So much!" He explained to her. The truth was that he wanted to tell her later, when she had full trust in him, but his original idea backfired. It didn't matter anymore, because he was now confident that she loved him back. He knew she still didn't realize it, but he did. She just didn't realize it.

The word never popped in her head, it was a word that was lost, and would only come when the word grow bigger. It took him time to realize he loved her as well. But as the feeling of like grew bigger, the word just naturally came to him. Love! It was a word he lusted with, and hoped to be returned with. After many years of hiding in the shadows unfound, and helping her when she was a child without her knowing, this feeling had hit him hard. After so many years, he still loved her. Being able to finally speak to her, touch her, kiss her, it was all a dream come true.

How long had it been since he started dreaming of her touches, kisses, and feel? Forever. It seemed like forever. And now, he finally got what he wanted. He couldn't afford to loose her. He couldn't! Staring at each other, the two became dazed at how fast they were growing attached to each other. Ichigo began to laugh as he began to tickle her neck.

Trying to run away from him, he easily caught on, and attacked her with a hug. She giggled, and blushed as his lips brushed along her neck. Smelling her scent, he became relaxed. Apologizing what he had done was hard, but she gave him a quick answer. She forgave him, and even though he knew that, he just had to apologize. "Ichigo, should I show you the place I was bringing you too?" She smiled, and nodded. Smiling back at her, he grabbed her hand and led her. It wasn't very far away; it was quite a short distance.

There was only one thing they had to walk over: a slippery hill. Holding her hand extra tight, he led her down the hill, catching her when she slipped. They continued to laugh as the place was slowly revealed. It was the ocean. The cold, blue, ocean, rolling over as a beautiful sunset was right above it. It was like a painting; one with such realistic colors and strokes.

"Its…. Beautiful…" She breathlessly whispered. Putting her hand over her mouth, and gasping, he smirked in accomplish ness. "Glad you like it." Leading her to the water, he picked her up, and laid her feet on the sand. Taking the shoes he chose for her before they left, he threw them to the side, letting her bare feet feel the smooth sand. "How did you… Know?" Ever since she was little, she was in love with the ocean. Its sly cool waves, its beautiful look, and salty taste. The creatures that inhabited it, it was all the miracle of nature. He grinned to himself, and didn't answer. He knew how in love with oceans she was. She absolutely adored them.

How did he know that? Simple. While spying on her, he also grew to learn the many thins she loved and liked and hated. She was deathly afraid of bugs, he knew the much. When she was little, a bug landed on her hand, and when she noticed it, she screamed, and began to cry with fright, shaking her hand frantically, trying to remove it from its spot. He laughed at her, but meant well. She was so cute at times. Even now, he'd love to see her grow with fright as she met a cruel encounter with a bug. He chuckled, and she looked and at with confusion, but he brushed it off into another subject. "I have my ways of finding things out." It was official. He knew her inside out. He knew everything about her, and she couldn't help but smile. She was happy that there was actually a person out there who cared so deeply for her to go to extremes. "Why don't you go in…?" He asked.

"I don't want to ruin the beautiful dress you gave me, though." She responded. "Then take it off in the water." He explained. She madly blushed, and nodded her head. As embarrassing as that was, she wanted to feel the water very badly. "Umm…" Reading her mind like a book again, he said the rest for her. "You want me to look the other way?" He said, with one eyebrow raised up. "Yeah…" She said back, twirling her fingers in embarrassment. "Very well." Turning his attention the other way, she removed the dress and entered the deeper waters. "You can look now." She yelled to him. Turning around, he saw her, and even though most of her body was concealed, some still showed through. Giving his full attention to her naked body, that wave of lust hit him again.

This time he was able to control it better after experience. Taking his long cape down, and tossing it on the dress, he surprised Ichigo as he entered the cool water. Smiling at her, as he came closer to her until she was right next to him. She blushed, as he was able to eye her body more, and smirked. Pulling her into a hug, even though she refused to at first, he was able to feel her bare skin on his for the first time. The slight bump and soft feel of her breasts made him feel good, as he snuggled to her chest. Resting his neck on her shoulders, he nuzzled up to her, and began a trail of kissed down her entire body.

Shivers were sent down Ichigo's spine as he continued what he did. He couldn't help but smirk wider, as she began to moan. He loved how he was able to control every action she made by such simple intimidation. "Ichigo… Can I have your attention for a second?" He stated, giving her one more kiss and stopping so she could give him her attention. Seeing through eyes filled with lust, the girl managed to nod her head, but barely pay attention. What he had done to her before… It felt so good. "Can you promise me this one thing?" She nodded through blurry eyes and he continued on.

"Can you promise me that you'll never lie to me again?" Ichigo's attention grew, and she stared him in the eyes. Seeing the hope and sadness grow, she responded. "Uh-huh." He grew happy, and smiled at her. Grinning, he knew exactly what she was waiting for. "You liked that didn't you? I'm assuming you want more." She gasped, and looked the other way, but received a chuckle in response. "Very well, I take that as a definite yes." He started doing what he previously did, but was stopped when Ichigo pulled her hand to his lips. "Since I made you a promise, can you answer one simple question for me?" He nodded, and kissed her forehead, making her continue on. "What's your name?"

* * *

**OMG. I'm finished! It's a miracle! This story is 6 and two fourths of a seventh page long! Woah! Man, this took me forever to type, check, etc, etc, etc! Anyway, please review! I work very hard with this chapter, the least you could do is review. Anyway, please do! Review, review, review, review… REVIEW! PLEASE! Ja Ne, and Banzai! Also, I'm sorry for all the mistakes in this chapter! I don't have much time before I have to go to bed, so I can't read over this chapter, and I'm so excited to receive reviews, so I'm not going to wait for tomorrow! Everything's been spell checked, so if there are any errors, I'm sorry! Very, very, sorry! Best work is only accepted, and as an author, I should know that. I'm sorry; I hope you can forgive me. And do you think I should bump the rating of this to M, or do you think it wasn't too bad? Anyway, see ya! I can't wait to see what reviews you all leave!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Monster Within…

He stood there, speechless, his mouth open, but not saying a single word. What should he say? This isn't how he planned things! He hadn't expected her to ask this question so soon. He had planned things perfectly; first, he would get Ichigo to like him, then they would get to know each other more, then, after everything was all set, and he was confidence in their relationship, he would tell her his name. He laughed at his idiotic idea; did he really think that he would be able to pull that off?

With Ichigo, there was no planning in the future. She always managed to surprise you, always going beyond expectations. Her wonderful imagination set her to no limit what so ever. He sighed; what should he say? Should he tell her the truth, or should he lie to her? The idea of lying to her made him upset, and somewhat uneasy, but… "R-R-Ryou. My name is Ryou." Slight uneasiness grew inside him, spreading further by every second. He just- "Ryou… I've been wanting to know your name for so long!" She smiled, happy that she finally found out his name. Ryou covered his face with his hand.

He was such an idiot! Blinking, Ichigo asked him if he was all right. "I'm fine." He said, smiling at her. But he really wasn't. As each second went by, he grew more and more nervous… How could he? Shaking his head out of that thought, he went back to what he was previously doing. Trailing kisses throughout her body, Ichigo wrapped her arms around his neck. Moaning in pleasure, she began to whisper his name over and over.

Continuing what he was doing, he grew weary, and at one point stopped. He couldn't do this anymore. "Why did you stop?" She said, asking him as she unwrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't get an answer; but instead, Ryou wrapped his arms around her body, and pulled her closer to him. Breathing in her scent, he sighed, and cuddled up to her, feeling her smooth skin. He growled, as his grip on her grew tighter. Ichigo then began to whimper; this was growing a little uncomfortable. Loosening his grip on her, he stood like that, in the water, with her bare body, for a few minutes.

Finally letting go of her, Ichigo wrapper her arms around his neck, and laid her neck on the crook of his neck. She giggled a little as Ryou's hair got in her face. Touching his hair, she felt how smooth it was, then, after looking at it, she let go. He raised an eyebrow at her in question; what was so interesting about his hair? Rolling his eyes, he chuckled. If she liked it, he had nothing against it; but what Ichigo next asked him caught him off guard. "Can… You do it again?"

He blinked, not answering her question. Did he hear her correctly? She wanted him to do it again? Nodding, he began to once again trail kisses around her body, feeling every curve she had. But that wasn't enough. "More…" She whispered into his ear. His eyes grew wide. She wanted more than this? He grinned.

If that's what she wanted, he'd give it to her. Pressing his lips against hers, he pulled her into a deep kiss, allowing his free hands to roam her body. Landing at her chest, he began to make round circle movement; consistently doing what he was. He could hear her moans, but they never had the chance to be loudly heard. They all disappeared in the kiss. Then, deciding that this was enough, he stopped, leaving Ichigo to ponder. "Wha-? Wh-Wh-Why did you stop?" She said, disappointed.

He looked at her, and sighed, crinkling his nose up in slight frustration. "I think this is enough. I've been moving to fast; in fact, I should have stopped a long time ago. I don't want to go any farther; I'm afraid that this will get out of hand and I'll end up doing something I'll forever regret." She stared at him, lust clearly standing in her eyes. "But… Please?" She whimpered.

He nodded his head no. That was when the begging and the tears began. She began to whimper, begging him for more. She had never experienced such pleasure in her life; she didn't want it to stop so soon! But no matter how hard she tried, Kish would do nothing but no his head no. It hurt, feeling the sting of rejection every time he said the word "no". He continued to say "no", over and over again until her voice was nothing but a soft whisper. This was completely wrong!

How could he? How could he treat the one person he loved like this? It didn't seem right. Rejecting your 'soon to be bonder' wasn't right at all! It hurt him every time he had to reject, trying his best to seem calm. But it hurt him as well as her; he couldn't get the screams out of his ears. They were constantly ringing in his ears; they were slowly beginning to drive him insane. He just couldn't take it anymore. "Stop!" He yelled as loud as he could.

His voice echoed throughout the air for quite sometime until he realized how silent it was. Ichigo had completely stopped her whimpering, and now stood breathless before him. She was clearly scared. He sighed, frustrated. He didn't want to scare her, but if it were the only way to get her attention, he would have had to do it. And he did. Looking at her straight in the eyes, he noticed that her eyes had changed slightly in color. They know had light spots of red.

Now that gave it away. He then realized why she was acting up so much; she had some of his blood! The poor thing wasn't strong enough to control it; heck, it could have killed her by now! She shouldn't have any of his blood until he transforms her, but… Apparently, that was too late. There was nothing he could do about it now; he would just have to take her for some treatment back at his place. He walked up to her, and began to wrap his arms around her neck.

Whispering something into her ear, she nodded, before being guided out of the water. Finally feeling the soft sand gather on her feet, she shyly put on the dress she was given. Now that her hair was wet, it seemed a little bit longer then before, when it was dry. She looked to the boy, before receiving a gesture that could only mean, "come over here." Listening to him, she walked over, and was instantly brought into his arms and lifted up.

At first, she was confused at why he had done that. The only thing he told her was that it was time to get out of the water; were they going somewhere? Looking to him for an explanation, he quickly answered. "Your coming over to my place for a while, to get a check-up. I can't explain to you yet why you need it, but-" "I trust you."

She answered, not even giving her answer a second thought. He smiled, and began to pick up the pace. Wrapping her arms around him, she felt the air around them intensify as they gathered speed. The man picked up more and more speed until something happened; his energy cracked. His face turned into a nervous shock as he quickly tripped and landed onto the ground with a thud. He moaned in annoyance as he looked at what was under him, and immediately shot up, and picked the girl off from the ground. She winced in pain as she slowly began to open her eyes.

Looking straight into a face filled with concern, she rubbed her eyes and looked at her surroundings. What had gone wrong? "What… Happened?" She asked, directing the question to Ryou. He sighed, and looked to the ground lazily. How would he explain this? He had a hunch at why this happened; he just wasn't ready to explain this to her yet.

He looked at Ichigo, and peered deeply into her eyes. He could trust her; right? _No. If he told her now, maybe she would reject him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to survive that. _Shaking his head out his thoughts, he looked at her eyes once down, but quickly retreated and stared at the ground. He would have to lie… _Again. _

"I'm running out of energy." At least that was partly true; why he was running out of energy, he couldn't tell. Ichigo could tell by the way that he was shifting back and forth that he was obviously uncomfortable; but about what, she didn't know.

"Maybe we could walk to your place th-" "No, it's okay. My place is a long ways from here; by the time we get there, our day together will be up, so, thanks for the consideration, but I'm going to have to decline that offer." She looked up at him with clearly worried eyes; she didn't want him to ware himself out for her! "But what if it happens a-"

"It won't happen again; I promise." She looked at him, clearly not convinced. But if he insisted, she would just have to trust him. "Fine. But please be careful." He smiled. "I will." And with that, the man whose hair was darkly overlooked picked her up once again, heading straight into the course they were once at.

She sighed, resting her head in the crook of his neck; closing her eyes, she failed to notice the intense look on his face as he struggled to keep the pace they were going at; he couldn't slow down. He would make her worry. He winced in pain as he could feel his blood boil at the intense amount of energy he was using; energy he didn't have.

Oh how simple this used to be; he used to be able to glide back and forth, all over the world if he wanted to, with ease. But now he couldn't even run ten miles without dealing with extreme and hurtful pain. He felt like his legs were going to tear open, but no. He promised to Ichigo that they would not experience what had happened before again, and he intended on keeping that promise.

Oh how he couldn't wait to get home, and relax the strain on his legs that grew and grew. He also couldn't wait to go home and be assured that Ichigo would be safe, despite of the un-natural danger that she was faced with. He only hoped her body would be able to withstand the small amount that he accidentally inserted into her body.

If only… If only that urge deep within him could be held back, but he knew that would take every ounce of his strength. His true self; as was once called the devil's spawn, has been locked deep into their souls from generation to generation. This monster, as he called it, was only passed on to the males of the royal family.

It was apparent, that of all generations, that he was struggling the most. Simple. Because that day was coming; it was coming swiftly, as if seeming to run towards him, wanting fate to happen already. He had no idea what he was going to do when that day came. The day when he lost all control; the day…

The day when the one he dearly loved could surely, truly _die. _His fists tightened, turning into a pale white as he thought of that, and most of all, dreaded it. There would be no way; no way in _hell _that he would let that happen. He didn't care if he killed himself half to death, at least she would be safe; that was all that would matter.

Besides, out of all of his family, he would be first one to accomplish this. The other generations that had to deal with this uncontrollable yearn either died, or ended up killing the person most dear to them, for that, was instinct; when the time came for the other side to take over, it was instinct for it to kill the person that is most dear to them; oh how the monster just enjoyed hearing the screams of their loved ones pierce their ears with pain; leaving signs and smells of blood all over; tainting the once clean body.

Usually the smell of their beloved one's would stay there for the rest of there life; it was unbearable. He heard about all the rumors from his family about the deaths of some of their family members. No he had this _monster _passed down to him. Oh how he hated the fiend; it had killed one of his closest family members. His cousin, Nachi, was killed by the demon that possessed him for that mere night. In fact, Nachi almost killed him as a matter of a fact.

He could still remember that day; the day when his eyes were lighted a piercing red; they were eyes that were merciless, un-pitiful; eyes that came from Satan himself. They were eyes that he could remember until this day. It haunted him every night; and ever since then, he has hated the full moon, and he still does. But to know that the very same thing will happen to him; to know that when he woke up, he would be caressed by the smell of his beloved's blood.

He couldn't stand the idea; memories of his cousin zoomed through his mind as he remembered the worst parts of the nightmare. He could remember himself; he sat there, scared in the corner guest room. Blood was tainted all over the walls, not a single living soul was in that room; the only one still breathing was him and Nachi.

He began to whimper and cry as the dark room glowed with the red of his victims blood; the window was opened, the pure white curtains; the only thing that had not been tainted with blood, swung as the wind gently blew into the room. He sat there, breathless with fear; the crystal clear white of the moon aimed its rays into the dark room, being their only source of light. The monster smirked as his piercing red eyes stared right through the young boy.

He began to cry, and cry, and cry; what could he do? The person he trusted the most killed his mother, and now he would die too. Now that he thought about it, death didn't seem so bad.

He had no purpose in life at all; none that he could think of. But Nachi brought a light that had never existed until he came, and made him feel like a real person; he felt like he deserved to live. He looked up to Nachi; he prayed and vowed that he would be just like him; kind, generous, and understanding. Every trait that made a good person Nachi had.

But now he would die; die by the hands of the person he trusted most. He wiped his tears with the bottom of his sleeves and waited for the final blow; but it never came. All that was heard was a deep shriek as his cousin collapsed onto the floor, cold; as cold as death. After that, silence rang through the room as he brought his eyes up to look at the situation.

There his cousin laid, dead; blood swarming from his chest as an ocean of thick red liquid grew. The child cursed to himself and gave out one more cry of sadness as he collapsed onto the cold floor, unconscious. The smell of blood surrounded him and took over…

* * *

His eyes grew into slits as he continued to think of that day; the fear that he had within himself grew and grew until this day. Oh how he hated the full moon; the one thing that managed to stay completely untainted on that day. Now, here he was, knowing that that very same moon would awaken the very same beast that he vowed to never see again within himself?

This was torture; it was cruel. He didn't want it to happen; he didn't! He didn't want to be surrounded by the blood of the one he loved; it couldn't happen. _It wouldn't! _He was snapped out of his thoughts as he saw his home appear before his distracted eyes; he slowed down the pace, clearly having an excuse to lessen the speed.

He could feel his legs release a little of the tension that it held, and soon began to relax as it finally stopped at their destination. "We're here." He whispered, making Ichigo open her eyes. She smiled at him, making his worry and nervousness grow thinner as well as thicker. Would he loose this smile; the smile that he cherished so much? _No. _

Was the only word that rang through his head. He wouldn't loose her to this monster, the monster that had destroyed his life long ago. It wouldn't happen; he wouldn't allow it. He forced himself to smile as he placed her feet on the ground gently, trying his best to focus on a different thought. But he knew that was impossible; that day was coming soon.

In fact, it would be here in four days; the day of the full moon to be exact. That was the day when he would be tested on not only his will power, but his stamina as well. He needed to make sure he wasn't broken through like the many others before him were. He was going to be head-on and ready. Relaxing his thoughts for a while, he grabbed Ichigo's hands and guided her into the place she was recently at; the place this man called "home."

Walking down the hard white tiles of the hall, he stopped at a certain door, and didn't even bother to knock. He just entered. There, a woman was seated, writing down important observations, before she paused for a second and looked up. She sprang up. "L-L-Lord-" "_Don't say another word._" He said, hissing at her.

She nodded in fear, and looked back at the young man once again. "What does my Lord need?" With that question asked, he pushed Ichigo deeper into the room and walked out of the room. Whispering, he answered her question. "She was accidentally given some of my blood." "She is a human, is she not?" He nodded.

She bit her lip, clearly puzzled at what to do. "How about I take some of her blood? Chances are that the stronger blood will overtake her human blood for a while. Hopefully she wasn't exposed to too much blood; what I'll do is draw as much of the blood that she was exposed to. Of course, to do that, you're going to have to show me where the transfer was."

Walking back into the room, he grabbed her arm, pushing her toward him in a possessive manner. Pointing at a spot on her neck, he grunted, "There." Nodding, the woman grabbed a wet napkin and began to wash out that spot. Then, taking a needle, she softly inserted a needle into her neck, receiving a soft whimper from the girl.

Then, she began to withdraw blood, filling the tube up. Then, pulling the thin and sharp needle out of her neck, she laid the tube on the table, and washed out the spot once again with another clean wet towel. She was just to patch it up with a band-aid, something she rarely used, when he grabbed her hand and pushed it away.

Ichigo looked at Ryou, clearly puzzled. He roughly grabbed her room and guided her outside. Biting into the same spot she was injected into with a needle, the last thing Ichigo saw was a haze of green as she blacked out. The man retracted his teeth from her neck, and began to lick the blood that drizzled down her neck, before licking it clean of the blood, and then closing the open cut.

He clung to her tightly, as her entire weight was pushed onto his grasp; then, lifting her up, he carried her into his room, and set her on the soft sheets of his bed. Walking out of the room, she closed the door, and turned around, and began to head toward his main office before he heard a worried voice. "My Lord, is she your internal bonder?" He nodded.

"My Lord, if that is the case, then you must quicken your pace. If you do not, I fear you will grow to weak to protect her." The last few words stung him; _to weak to protect her. _He nodded once again, clearly knowing the fate he was facing. "There is nothing I can do about it at the moment." And with that, he walked off, covering the urge that lay deep inside him.

The creature that lay hidden was already beginning to make its appearance; after all, there was only four days left until the full moon he hated so dearly appeared. Then, there was another part of him that he had to fight. He didn't know how strong and demanding this part was, but he knew that the closer he got to her, the stronger the yearn for her blood grew. _If only she knew; _for it was a fact that the closer they got to each other, the more danger Ichigo was put in. And it looked like it was far too late to turn back…

* * *

**I am sooooo sorry for not updating sooner! Let me explain! What happened, was that I had the fourth chapter ready and up to go a few months ago, but it was accidentally deleted, and when that happens, your author here gets grumpy for a looooong time and refuses to update. Incidents like this have been happening to me too much, and whenever they do, I get ticked off and refused to update for a long time. I was slowly working on this chapter and finally finished; forgive me. When things like this happen, I become lazy; not to mention I'm still not over what happened! In fact, I had to write this chapter over twice before I thought it was decent. I thought my other two attempts to create this chapter were crappy, so I deleted them and started them over. I am sorry everyone, you must have thought this chapter was crappy. It was, wasn't it? I thought it was _okay, _but I can't help but notice that my very first draft was the best, but there's really nothing I can do. I also apologize about how short this chapter was. Four pages; there usually at least five or six, but this became a low record of four. **

**Sorry everyone, but please, don't yell at me! I promise to update as soon as I can, but I can't help but feel rushed to finish my other fan fics; I have so many ideas for new fan fics, but I'm not going to start them until I finished at least ten more fan fics. Speaking of finishing fan fics, this fan fic isn't even near the middle, never mind the beginning. I have so many ideas for this fan fic that's it's overwhelming. Also, people are asking me to bump the rating up. If you haven't caught on this yet, I have mentioned something called an "internal bonder." I'm not going to explain what that is yet, but if you can guess, then I'm sure you know what that means. Now, should I bump the rating up or no? It's up to you… I don't think people want me to, well, at least most of them, but some of them do.**

** I don't know; you make the choice.Oh, and I realized something that lead me to slight disappointment. I was wondering how a few of my reviewers were able to guess who the character in this story was; now I found that answer! I accidentally included the guy's name in one of the chapters; thank god it was only once. Apparently, this mistake slipped my mind; darn it! Well, at least only a few people like, three, noticed it. As for you others, you have to read and find out who the guy is. As far as I'm concerned, his name is Ryou.**

** Anyway, give me your opinion? Does this fan fics suck, or is it pleasingly entertaining? I hope this so called work of mine is somewhat entertaining; I don't want to be boring my reader's now do I? Also, do you think this chapter was crappy or no? Please leave me your opinions on this story! Also, everyone, I have opened two fanlistings! One is a GaaraxSakura fanlisting, and the other is a KishuxIchigo fanlisting. **

**Please, if you are a fan of either of these pairs, check out my fanlistings. All you have to simply do is click on my pen-name, and, at the very beginning of my profile, you will notice the fanlistings. It's literally impossible to miss. On my GaaraxSakura fanlisting, some of the pages are under construction, if you want to call it that, so some of them don't work. Two of them don't to be exact; the lyrics page and the links/goodies page. The guestbook page doesn't work either, but if you want to join, all you have to do is notice the note I set on that page. It tells you to e-mail me. I have two different e-mail addresses, so if you want to e-mail me, you can send me an e-mail to the one I provide you from the fanlisting, or the one that is shown from my profile. **

**If you feel to lazy to e-mail me, but are willing to join and check out my website, tell me what fanlisting you are willing to join and give me your e-mail, and the address of your website; that is, if you have one. Also, give me the pen-name you want on the fanlisting. I will not automatically assume that the pen-name you have on fanfiction will be the one you want to use. If it is the one you want to use, make sure you keep me aware of that. I could blab about my fanlistings forever, but it seems that I have used almost a whole page on an authors note. Oh god, man, where's the chapter? The whole chapter is the authors note now; I swear! I'm so sorry for blabbing on forever, but your author is obviously lacking interaction with people… Anyway, I gotta shut-up soon before I go onto the fifth page with the author's note. Ja Ne.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Doubts…

"So, you're finally awake, huh?" asked Ryou as he stared at the blinking girl. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes, trying to re-call what had happened last night. Why was she in this room…? "You blacked out yesterday so I brought you here." Of course, there would be no way that she would remember why she had blacked out; that was something that was too far out of her reach. Besides, he didn't want her to get frightened. He wouldn't want her to think that she would turn into one of them just because he bit her; oh no, it takes a lot more than that to change a human; two words: pain and pleasure. That was what it would take to get her through the transformation. Of course, whether or not he was going to transform her was a decision he didn't have the answer too… _Yet. _

Staring at Ryou, Ichigo nodded, and stretched her arms above her head and looked at him. "So… What now?" She asked. He chuckled. "Whatever you want. If you want to go home I'll take you there. If not, we'll just have to find something to preoccupy each other now won't we? Of course, with you, that won't be too hard." He said, grinning. Ichigo turned cherry red and looked at the ground, to embarrassed to meet his eyes. "Umm… Is it okay if I go home? I have… A lot of work to do." His grin turned into a frown.

_You won't be treated as dirt much longer, Ichigo. _Bringing his deep, cool colored eyes, he stood up, grabbed her hand, and walked out of the door. His footsteps were so fast paced, that pretty soon Ichigo found that she had to jog to keep up with him; keeping his grip on her, he too, started to jog, as both of their bodies soon became a blur. Looking ahead of him, he spotted a door; all he simply did was say a few words, things that had meanings in a different language, and soon became translucent as he walked right into the door, mending into it's glass for a few seconds as he came out, just like before. His body then became solid, and the colors of their bodies, originally a translucent white, returned to normal.

Then, pulling her up, he threw her onto his back; she immediately gripped onto his shoulders as tightly as she could, closing her eyes and snuggling her head to his neck. The wind became to intensify by the second, as all Ryou did was simply smile; it seems as though the blood he had collected from her yesterday was some kind of power source; the energy his internal bonder brought to him was enough to last three weeks at the least. For now, he didn't need to worry about his power; now, all he would be doing, is storing as much energy as he could for later use when this boundless energy that was swarming around him ran out.

Seeing her house up ahead, he slowed down and came to a smooth stop right at her doorstep. Bowing, and saying a polite "thank you", she walked to the back of her house, planning to crawl through her room window. She was lucky enough to have wakened early; it was six o'clock; she wouldn't be put to work until eight. Continuing her stride, she was almost at her window before a strong arm pulled her back, bringing her into an embrace. "Ryou…?" She whispered. Wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his neck on her shoulders, he apologized. "I'm sorry Ichigo, but I won't be able to see you tonight." Slight disappointment ran through her eyes as she quietly nodded; if he had other things to do then she didn't want to bother him.

Noticing the change in her mood, he explained further. "Don't get me wrong, Ichigo; I'm still going to visit you, it's just that tonight isn't a particularly good night for a meeting with each other." Sighing, she nodded once again, showing him that she clearly understood the situation. He smiled a sad smile and took his arms away from her waist. "Before I go, if you want, I can help you through the window." Smiling, she nodded, taking his offer. Putting his arms around her waist once again, he grabbed her waist a little harder and pulled her complete weight onto his arms once again, letting her wrap her arms around his neck. Then, walking forward, he spotted her window and raised her body above his head; Ichigo couldn't help but feel embarrassed, as his fingers lightly brushed against her breast and softly gripped them as he set her down onto the ground. "Thanks, Ryou."

She said, whispering, still embarrassed at the interaction his hands had had with her body. Grinning, he saluted to her and disappeared. Ichigo still stood there, looking at the window as the light pink blush that had stayed on her face reddened; tracing her fingers over her body, she stopped at her breast and gripped them; she felt so complete! She had been caressed by the love of a man she found deathly attracting. He was handsome, strong, and kind. Her hands continued down her body; she felt so dazzled and refreshed. The feelings that she felt for him were too strong to categorize; she was completely clueless as to what she felt for him. All she knew was that she wanted him to continue playing a role in her life; bit-by-bit she was starting to need him. It seemed like the days were dragged on longer, for she couldn't wait to see him; but now that she knew she wouldn't see him today, her heart began to throb, almost seeming to ache for him, as the tears threatened to spill.

Why was she being so… Emotional? Surely she hadn't become that attached to him by now. _Attachment will only lead to pain in the end. _Yelled a voice through her head; it was right. Every time she had become attached to someone, they had either ended up betraying her or slipping away from her reach; but… She couldn't help it! He was too perfect to resist… Oh god, she was crazy about him. She had slowly begun to adapt to the ub-normal skills he seemed to posses; the first one was the ability to read minds. Sighing, she threw herself onto her bed, took off all of her clothes and slept there, bare. She felt as if he was caressing her; and with that, dreams of Ryou began to surface.

* * *

"Oi! Lord! It is time for the hunt." A dark chuckle was heard. "Yes, Baki; I know that." "So, what should we hunt? How about near that amusement park? I hear it's a great attraction for all sorts of humans." "Like hell we're going there. No! I forbid anyone to go near that district! If they even walk upon that street I want them punished." Frustration could be heard from the man next to him. "But… Why?" "Baki, just listen to me." "Aha! I know why! That's where your internal bonder lives, right? So, have you put the moves on her yet? Is she hot? Does she have a big chest? Is she one of those sexy high school girls you see wandering around these days? Well…? Tell me, damn it!" "Baki, stay out of it, please. You're attraction to girls with big chests is getting… Out of hand." "Yeah, well I bet you like the same type." Ryou blushed a thousand colors of red. "I think I hit you right on. So, she has a big chest… Right?" 

"Very." Ryou threw his hands to his mouth. _I will not say another word; _thought Ryou. Baki started to laugh and hit him in the head. "Well, I'm glad you chose her, then. Congratulations, man. Anyway, where shall we go, then?" "Taka School district." "Fine with me." Staring into the night, the two walked off, their eyes growing a piercing fiery red as they jumped at lightening speed. "I call that one." Baki yelled in a dark, merciless voice. "I choose the other one, then." "Oh, Misaki! I can't believe it. The guy finally had the guts to ask you out! How cute! Man, I hope I find love somed-" "There won't be a someday." Growled a voice in the shadows. The two girls squealed and ran, their footsteps slamming into the wet puddles that were left days ago. "M-M-Misaki, what's going on? Misaki…? Where are you? Misa-!" "She's dead; and you're next." The girl stopped, fright showing through her eyes. And, as the man stepped up, he pierced her chest with his bare hand, causing a hole in her stomach. The last sound that the girl was able to make was an "AHHHH!" Before she died cold on the street floors, all signs of blood completely gone.

"Hmm… That was interesting." "That was disgusting. I swear, I can't find good tasting blood these days." "No, that's only because you found your bonder; you know the rules, my Lord; when you find a bonder, all other blood is tasteless. The only blood that will provide spice is that of your female. Come on, my Lord. You should know this." "I… Do."

* * *

"This is where the girl lives right? The one of the Momomiya heir; the Lords bonder?" "Yes." Hissed another voice. "You and me are to terminate her; you promised you'd help me because we'd both benefit in the end." "I know; now shut the fuck up before I kill you." A shiver ran down the girls' spine as she stood on one of the headlights of the street. "Oh, and by the way, Kisara; if anyone sees you, make sure to kill them." "Hai."

The man continued to scan his eyes over the street, his mind searching, sensing for the right description that he was given. _Are you sure that information you got on her was accurate, Malik? _**Yes, I'm sure. **_Can you send me another memory? _The man on the other side of the conversation grunted. **Fine. **And with that, another mental picture was sent of the girl, as well as a memory of her smell. His eyes continued to search the streets, looking for a match. _Bingo. _**You find her? **_Yes. _

And with that, he jumped from the headlights onto the street in one, swift moment, landing on the pavement with ease. "The Momomiya's killed my brother; what better way to get revenge then by killing the heir? The heir that they thought was dead will now fit her false rumor." Zooming into the night wind, he breathed in the fresh air, grinning as he imagined it with the girls tainted blood; it would be perfect.

Stopping his run, he arrived at his destination. All he simply did was walk through the front door; there, he met a woman who appeared to be in her forties who stood before him, glaring. If she thought that would scare him, she had another thing coming. "Excuse me, young man! Who do you think you are? You can't just walk into people's houses! I don't even know who the hell you are!" "Silence, woman." He hissed. "I will not be silenced! Where's your respect?"

He grinned; his dark black hair dropped, covering his eyes. "Where's yours?" And, with one quick movement of his hands, he lunged it at her neck, and killed her. She gasped for air one more time as she hit the ground, dead cold. "Ma'am! I finished cleaning the kitchen! Do you mind if I go to bed now…?" Asked Ichigo, as she ran down the stairs. But, instead of being met with the same mean face she put up with everyday, she was met with piercing, cold, blue eyes. She gasped.

"Ma'am…?" "She's dead." The silence stung the air as Ichigo sobbed. "Wh-Wh-Why? Why did you kill her?" "Ask your father that in the underworld. I assure you he'll be meeting you there very soon." "Who are you!" "Shut it, bitch. It's your turn to die." Ichigo's eyes widened; whimpering, she took full speed up the stairs, trying to run from what fate was making her face. "You can't run from your destiny, Ichigo." And with that, his foot stomped onto the first step; he was slowly making his way up the stairs.

* * *

"Hey Tsujiai? Have you ever loved… A girl?" The man turned around and smiled at him. "Well, of course I have. In fact, I still love her, but she's never noticed me." "What's her name…?" "Ichigo. Ichigo Momomiya, the heir to the Momomiya clan."

* * *

**Hmm… Oh god, I don't like this chapter either. ((cries)) It was bad, wasn't it? It was sucky! It stunk! A pig could've written this thing better. Oh please, just tell me it sucked! Oh my god, this chapter was horrible. I'm sorry for feeding you this… Trash. Forgive me! ((bows))**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Past Encounters Come to the Present…

He hissed, breathing in the cold air of the night. "Do you smell that, Baki?" The man behind him blinked. "Blood? Well, yeah. If you haven't noticed, Lord, we're covered in it." The man turned and glared at him. "I'm not joking, Baki! Do you smell _that?_" Sighing, the man concentrated; closing his eyes for a second, and then opening them once again, he nodded.

"Yes. It appears that others are on the hunt as well, not just us. Why does that bother you so much? Almost everyone hunts on nights like these." Scratching his head, he looked at the man beside him. "What's got you so worried, Lord?" Ryou began to shake, his senses hyperventilating. "This smell… Why does it seem so familiar?" He couldn't quite put his finger on it… All he knew was this was not good news. _This was not good news at all. _

* * *

"For all the things you've done, you're going to pay. Pay with eternal death." The man harshly said. Panicking, Ichigo picked up the pace. "I don't know what you're talking about!" She screeched. He chuckled. "How pathetic. You don't even know what you _are. _Behind that little innocent face of yours lays an evil stench. Do you know how long… I've suffered?" He began to grind his teeth together. "You're going to die today, bitch. _Today! _First I'll take your virginity, making you mine. After that, I'll slice you into a million pieces and burn them in hell. I'll make sure to have the pain merciless and everlasting. You _will _die. You'll die by my hands." Ichigo became more and more desperate by the second. Why did he hate her so much? She had never done anything to him! _She didn't even know him! _

"Ryou…" She whimpered. "Help." Stopping in her tracks, she caught her breath, and then jumped out of her bedroom window; since her bedroom was at the highest floor, she did get hurt, landing on the hard concrete, but she was grateful. She had made it out _alive. _Gasping for air as her feet continued to thump by her sides while blood trickles down from her knees, she shuttered. It was cold outside; in fact, she could see her breath! Her eyes filling with water, she started to cry. Why did he want to kill her? "_Because you killed him._"

She screamed; she had been completely unaware of his presence until now. The man, jumping from the trees that were above the trail she was running on, he licked his lips. "This is pointless; I'm barely using any of my strength to keep up with you." A smug grin appearing on his face, he jumped in front of her, stopping her dead in her tracks. "_Game over._" A frightened scream filled the air.

"Man, that was one loud scream. That hunter better be careful or he'll attract policemen or other humans. That idiot; doesn't he know how to hunt?" Baki complained, his hands by his sides. "Tsk, tsk." Ignoring him, Ryou's face turned merciless, his features becoming more and more strained. "That voice… I _know _that voice!" He roared. Baki literally jumped. "Okay, okay! You know that voice! Good for you! No reason to get so angry…." Inching away from him, he calmed himself down. "I hate it when the Lord gets mad. He becomes so… Scary! Brrr!"

Baki said, shaking his entire body. "Oi, Lord! You belong in a horror movie." Laughing to himself, he stomped his foot on the concrete, continuing to chuckle. The Lord averted his eyes to him, his eyebrows twitching. "This. Is. Not. Funny. Damn it!" Laughing even harder, Baki raised one hand in the air. "It's funny for me!" Ryou glowered at the man in front of him. "Can't you be serious about anything?" He snarled. Pointing to himself, he blinked. "Me?" Ryou rolled his eyes. "Whom else am I talking to?" He growled. "I don' know. The tree?"

Laughing once again, Baki slammed his fist against the tree behind him. "Okay, okay! I get the point. I'll stop laughing now." Ryou glared at him once more. "You could've done that earlier." Then, removing his gaze from Baki, he looked ahead, his senses still on full alert. "I… _Know that voice. _And if I'm correct… _She's in trouble._" He whispered. Growling to himself, he cursed. "Dammit, all! I didn't think anyone would hunt in that district, yet alone barge into a humans house!" Sighing, Baki closed his eyes and replied. "I think I know who you're talking about now. You're talking about your internal bonder, ne?" Ryou bit his lip. "Exactly." He hissed. "Then what are you waiting for? Go save her!" Ryou smirked. "Your right. Baki, you stay here. If I need your help I'll call for you; just stay alert, all right?"

Saluting to the man, he nodded. "Yes, sir!" And with a flash of wind, Ryou was gone. Gliding overhead the city, he followed the scent of blood; now he was sure that he had been right. He could smell Ichigo's blood, though it was faint. Whoever the bastard was who did this to her, they would get a one-way ticked to hell. The scent of her blood becoming stronger and stronger, he stopped and landed onto the ground with a thump.

His ears perked up, twitching with every little noise, he sped ahead. A deep fright filled his stomach as he predicated the predator's movements from afar; _he was going to strike at her! _Speeding off, faster than ever, he arrived just in time. Pulling his hand back, the man threw his claws at her, attempting to wound her. Jumping in the way, taking the damage, he jumped off the ground, Ichigo in his arms. Her tear stained face in his arms, she looked up only to meet the eyes of a concerned young man. "Ryou…?" She whispered. "Hn?"

He grunted. Her face brightening, she hugged him. "I was hoping you would come." She didn't receive any reply. Putting her down onto the soft grass, her outfit now stained with his blood, the man growled, his piercing red eyes meeting with ice-cold blue eyes. "Well, well, well. Long time no see." Slight puzzlement filled Ryou's face. "Who are you?" The other man laughed. "You don't remember that either? This is a joke." "What on Earth are you talking about?" Ryou said, snarling at him. "That is for me to know, and you to find out… Sooner or later." Ryou's eyes turned completely merciless. "What do you want with the girl?" The other man grinned.

"To kill her, of course." Ryou's eyes widened. "Why?" He wanted answers, and he wanted them now! "Like I said before; this is for me to know and you to find out." Ryou grew senseless, everything immediately becoming blinded by hate and anger. "Fuck yourself in hell, you bastard!" Charging ahead, he pulled back his fist, preparing to hit him with all the strength he could conjure into his hand. Not even flinching, the man just stood there, not moving. _Man, this guy must be an idiot! _Thought Ryou. Under-estimating his opponent, he struck.

Bringing out his hand, doing it so quickly that even Ryou couldn't even realize it until it was too late, he blocked his attack, his fist swarming with a dark purple. Shocked, Ryou pulled his hand back to him and landed from a distance from him. His feet grinded into the ground as he staggered; how could this be? _Could be really be this strong? _Nervousness overcoming his hatred, he became confused. _Was it possible for someone to become so strong that you could see their very inner strength? He had never seen anything like it! _"Who the hell did you bond with? A demon?" He shouted. The man before him grinned once more; oh, how Ryou wanted to take that smirk off his face. "I've been bonded ever since I was 7 years old." Terror struck Ryou's face.

"That's… Not right. Surely you couldn't have loved someone that strongly at such a young age." Amusement crossed the man's face. "Who ever said he was in love with her?" Ryou's eyes grew wider. "You… _Monster!_" The man before him rolled his eyes. "I'm not the monster, you are. After all, today is the night of the full moon." _Shit! How the hell did he even know about that? _Terror struck him once more. He could feel the energy from the monster inside him circulating into his veins. If he could turn that strength into good use for the time being, he could save Ichigo; after he killed this bastard, he'd tell Baki to take her away from him as far and as fast as he could. But… He rather speed up the process.

"Baki." He whispered. With a flash of wind, the man appeared beside him. "Hm, Lord?" "I want you take Ichigo away as fast and as far as you possibly can." Blinking, he looked up into the sky. "It's the full moon." Nodding, he appeared by Ichigo's side. Nervous, Ichigo began to tense up as he threw her onto his back. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she murmured something to herself. "Uhh…?" Ryou stared at her.

"You can trust him, Ichigo." "Mhm." She whispered. And with a blink, the two were gone. Now, moving his gaze towards opponent, he smirked at him. "You're going to hell." The man before him cursed to himself. "I wasn't planning on this happening…" There was no way he could possibly stand up to the beast the lay inside the man before him; he might be able to pull it off for a few minutes, but he couldn't possibly battle and stay alive while he was in that form for more then ten or twenty minutes. He was going to have to kill him, or retreat as quickly as he could. Laughing nervously, the man smirked once more, giving himself false encouragement. "Let's get this over with."

* * *

"You're one lucky girl, you know that?" Baki said, jumping from tree to tree as fast as he possibly could. "Hai." Concentrating on the land before him, he began to speak once more. "Do you know how much he loves you?" He questioned. Her expression grew puzzled. "Huh?" Baki laughed. "The Lord!" Her expression grew even more puzzled. "Lord…?" _Shit! I wasn't supposed to say that! He's gonna kill me! _"Um… Never mind. I mean Ryou. Do you know how much he loves you?" "I… Guess." Baki rolled his eyes. "You mean he hasn't told you that he loves you yet? That idiot! Sounds just like him." "Well, actually, he did tell me… Once." Baki's jaw almost dropped. 

"Once? Only once! Man, if I were him, I'd…" "I don't get what the whole fuss it about." She whispered. Sighing, he continued to gain speed. "Never mind. I'm gonna have to talk with that idiot. Anyway, what do _you _think of Ryou?" Ichigo slightly blushed. "I… Don't really know." If this kept up, he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. Why did the two have to be so dense? "I mean, do you like him?" "Yes… Why?"

_Finally! They were getting somewhere! _"So, how far have you gotten?" Ichigo turned beet red. "Wha-Wha-What do you… Mean?" She stuttered. _Man, she gets embarrassed so easily! How on Earth is he going to pull off bonding with her? I wonder what would happen if I asked her about sex… _"I mean, how far in your relationship have you gotten? Have you kissed yet? Have you done anything farther than that?" Ichigo gasped. "Um… N-N-No?" Baki laughed.

"That's a definite yes." "Uurrghh!" Ichigo whined. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about." He replied. Looking ahead of him, he sped off a little farther, stopped, and then set her onto the ground, gently. Then, backing a few inches away from her, he eyed her. "Fate has a tendency to repeat things, ne?" "What do you mean?" She asked, clearly confused. "Hm? Oh, nothing." She crossed her arms, looking at him suspiciously. "Fine." She whined.

"So, um… What now?" "Well, chances are, are that I'm going to have to be with you all night, so I'll have to find a place for you to sleep." Looking at her clothes, he returned his gaze to her. "And a pair of new clothes, too." Agreeing with him, she nodded. "Well… I could take you back to the main house and have you sleep there… But that might be too dangerous. I think I'll just go with plan B." "What's plan B?" She asked. "You're going to have to sleep in a Hotel. To be extra safe, I _could _take you to Kyoto and have you go to one of the Hotel's over there."

Her eyes widened. "Is it even possible for anyone to go fast? Even you?" "Of course! I could just teleport myself there." "Then why didn't you do that instead of wasting energy and running all the way here?" "Actually, teleporting takes a lot more energy, not that I mind. Besides, running doesn't take away mental energy, it only takes away physical energy." "O…kay." "You have no idea what I'm talking about, ne? Well, let me just explain it to you. Our kind depends on two sources; mental energy, and physical energy. Mental energy can be improved by practicing on strategizing, or learning about your opponent.

In battle, mental energy can be boosted when you figure out your opponent's weakness and use it against them. As for physical energy, that improves through experience, strong opponents, pain, and intense training. These are the two factors everyone depends on. But, one becomes truly strong when they figure out how to combine these two; when they do, that person will become utterly unbeatable." Shaking her head, motioning to him that she understood, she asked him a question. "Have you figured out how to combine these mental and physical energy?"

He smiled. "Not yet, but I will." "Are there any shortcuts and hints that can help you accomplish this?" "Actually, there are; but, before you even attempt at this, you must have complete control over your two energies. After that, there are two different ways you can succeed. Practice… And something else." _I shouldn't have said that. _"And… What is this second way?" He gave her a sad smile. "I'm sorry… But I can't tell you."

* * *

**Huzzah! And chapter six is now official done! WHOOT! And I actually like this chapter… It's a miracle. Anyway, please review! Also, does anyone have any guesses about what's going on? Guess, guess, guess! I want to see if anyone can get it right. Anyway, moving on to a different subject… I'm sick! ((coughs)) Stupid allergies… Curse you, asthma! Anyway, yeah… Please review, everyone! **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: The Awakened…

Curiosity evident in her eyes, she nodded. "I understand." _Lord, you idiot! Hurry up and tell her everything! I hate deceiving others… Especially a girl this innocent. _Sighing to himself, he dropped the girl onto a tree branch; standing beside her, he put two of his fingers onto his forehead and mumbled a few words Ichigo in no way understood. A flash of blue light surrounded both of their bodies; then, snapping his fingers, the two disappeared into thin air.

Closing her eyes, wind seemed to spin around her; when she finally did manage to open her eyes, one thing escaped her throat; a scream. She screamed as loud as she could; they were in the frikkin' _air! The air! And they were falling! Falling really, really, really, fast! She was going to be run over by cars once she landed; if she managed to live the fall! _"Calm down," A voice whispered into her ears. Grabbing her by the waist, they disappeared in a flash of movement, as she gathered his strength into one leap, which… Seemed difficult considering that fact that they were on air; there was nothing to push against. Striding forward, Baki landed on top of one of the buildings, both of there figures concealed by the darkness of the night; taking a deep breath, and gasping in and out, she began to grow calmer.

The man next to her chuckled, a tint of amusement on his smirk. "That was fun, ne?" Her eyes turned as wide as saucers until she screamed once again. "DON'T YOU EVER, EVER, _EVER _DO THAT AGAIN!" She screeched. Her arms shaking by her sides as she stomped her foot onto the roof, she began to shudder. His grin turning into a frown, he bowed before her, his neck down and his knee pointed upward. "I'm sorry," his head sinking lower toward the ground as he avoided her eyes, he continued. "I should've warned you first. I'm not doing a very good job, am I?" Hugging herself as the wind began to blow colder air, she looked at him sympathetically. "Get up," she chocked out.

"It's… Okay. I was just a little scared at first," she could see her very breath before her as she spoke; realization then struck her that indeed, tonight was very cold. "There's… No reason to bow down to me. Why--? I'm nothing… Special," She continued to shudder, the air seeming to get colder by the second. Raising himself off the ground, his eyes still not meeting with hers, he opened his cape and pulled her in it. His hands landing on her waist once again as his neck lightly leaned onto her shoulder, he apologized once again. "I'm sorry," he said. "You—" Ichigo said, cutting into his sentence.

"What I did was wrong," he said, interrupting her as she did to him. "My obligation was to take care of you, not frighten you," His eyes seemed to darken as he gritted his teeth. "Will you forgive me?" Ichigo didn't even give her answer a second thought as she responded, her voice kind and in a soft, sweet melody, as the words flowed out of her mouth. "Of course I do," She smiled. "What are friends for?" A grin struck the man's face. _Friends…? She… Didn't hate him? _

His grip around her waist tightened as his breath tickled her ear. "He made a good choice, you know," there was absolutely no doubt held in his words. He held in a chuckle. "Makes me wish I got to you first," his eyes saddened as he brought his head upward, staring down onto the cars as the street signs continued to flash. When had it last been since he felt so content…? Forever. He knew that much. His eyes scanning the area, a new determination filling them, he landed onto target. "Perfect," he mumbled. "I couldn't have chosen a better place."

Giving her a small warning ahead of time before he made movement, he jumped onto the next building. Standing on the very top, in other words, the roof, he walked towards to parking lot that was behind the structure and looked down. Making sure no human was there, he jumped down, his grip on her firm. Not a single sound escaped Ichigo's lips as they landed. Shrouded in the darkness, Baki dug through his pockets and pulled out what he was looking for. Then, handing the card to her, he stuffed his hands back into his pockets for a few seconds and gave her a reassuring look.

Taking his hands out of his pocket once again, he turned her towards the building entrance, which was located on the other side. "Wha--? What am I supposed to do?" "Just walk in the building and ask for a room to rent for two days," Pointing to the card in her hands, he explained further. "Just give them the card and they'll charge it onto our household." That last sentence had confused her even further. "Our household? As in ours? Both yours and mine? But I don't even live with you! I--!" He put his finger onto her lip.

"When… Err, Ryou, first told me about you, I took the time to make you a card. Let's just say that you'll be living with us very soon," Nodding, she looked onto the card. "And, as you can tell, it says your name." Baki affirmed. Giving her another little push, he then backed away into the shadows as she soon landed into the small amount of flourishing light that was coming from the small lanterns that were decorated on the sides. "Should I tell them there are two people?" She yelled at him. "If you want too," He hollered back. "But I think it'll be more fun to cheat--! Wait. On second thought, just say there are two people, okay?" Nodding, she turned around, but then once again stopped, and turned her head towards his direction. "Um… How come you aren't coming along?" He looked at her sheepishly.

"Werewolf," grunted. "At the front counter." Her look struck with fascination, she nodded. Baki watched from the shadows as she walked into the building. Ichigo was met with a woman at the front; she smiled, trying her best hide the look of disgust as she sensed the smell of her natural enemy on the very card she handed to her. Without Ichigo noticing, the woman began to eye her as the girls' gaze was taken to the paintings on the wall. Her fingers tapping on the desk, she handed the card back to her and immediately removed her gaze to the other direction.

Ichigo held the card in her hands, gratitude in her smile before memory came to her; she forgot to tell the woman that _two _people were going to be in this room. "Excuse me, miss! I'm sorry, but I forgot to tell you that two--!" "I know," she hissed. "Just get that damn card out of my sight." Bowing before her once, she turned around and ran back to where Baki stood, his foot tapping patiently onto the pavement. "I'm… Done." She extended her hand out to him, giving him back the card but her shook his head to the side. "

You keep it," he grinned. "It's yours, after all." "H-hai!" Holding the card between her fingers, for she had no pocket to hold it in, she asked Baki a question, breaking the one-second silence that was held between them. "That woman," A smug look crossed Baki's face. "She knew everything; I didn't even need to tell her how long we're going to stay. She even knew two people were going to be in that room," Baki's grin grew bigger and bigger. "How'd she do that?" He answered her the moment the last word escaped her lips. "I told her," he pointed to his forehead.

"Telekinetically." Getting no response from the girl, he pulled her into his arms and jumped upward, and landed into the room; the window was open, after all. Ichigo didn't even bother to ask how he knew which room it was, or how convenient of a fact that the window was left open. Shutting the window behind him, he took off his coat and set it onto a chair. Crashing onto the couch, his legs crossed, he closed both eyes and breathed in. "I'm going to check how Ryou's doing," he said. "So please, don't distract me." "Hai." "Good girl." Putting two of his fingers onto his forehead, he began to concentrate.

* * *

A flash of light struck Ryou's mind as he looked before him, his features still holding disgust. 

_Lord! You there? _

**Yes, Baki. How's Ichigo doing? **

_Perfectly fine. _

**Good. Keep it up. **

_So, how are things going on over there? Did you beat the shit out of that guy yet?_

A chuckle could be heard between the two as it rang in their thoughts.

**Not yet… But I will soon.**

_Ne? Well, hurry up. It's best to get out of that area as quickly as possible. You should teleport yourself to another city, just to be safe._

**I don't think that'll help much, but I'll do it any way.**

_Anyway, Lord, just be careful._

**Sure.**

_How long until it fully takes over…?_

**I'm guessing about… A half hour? Maybe a little less than that; I can already feel its power and blood going through my veins.**

_Like I said before, be careful. Ichigo and me will be just fine so don't worry._

**I'm counting on you, Baki.**

_And I'm counting on you to stay alive._

**I have no intention of dying. Well, I guess I should return back to the battle now. All I've been doing is defending. So, then, should we meet somewhere tomorrow? **

_Yeah. We'll talk about an exact meeting place tomorrow; until then, good luck, Lord_

* * *

The small, invisible light that connected the two minds disappeared in a flash as Ryou looked before him. "I guess its time for me to attack, don't you think so…?" Ryou asked. A frown crossed the man's face as his features became doubtful; if he didn't leave soon, he could possibly be killed. Besides, he didn't want him to take over. He barely managed to control it; it had almost let loose as he made his way up the stairs, ready to kill the girl. 

Oh well. It didn't matter anymore. He wouldn't further this battle anymore; after all, he still have many tricks and maneuvers that he didn't want to reveal just yet. With a sudden, un-called for jump into the air, he sprung up, his figure shining for a split second as it appeared before the full moon. With the blink of an eye, he disappeared. A frustrated growl could be heard as the man cursed under his breath. He got away!

Well, at least he had more time to escape… Not that it would take very long. With a flash, Ryou too, disappeared; he teleported himself into a city, unaware of whether or not Ichigo and Baki remained present in here; after all, he never told him. Here he stood, on a building, a chill surrounding him as the wind blew. He was in Osaka, a place he always seemed to go to whenever he was bored, or had free time. His features began to slightly change, almost darkening; his behavior became more gruesome as well, as his eyes flashed a red.

A smirk crossed the man's face, a new personality emerging. He cracked his knuckles, a vivid picture of his target appearing in his mind. How long had it been since he'd had his last killing? He nearly forgot what the taste of blood was like. Pink hair. Well, that was interesting? Not many people he knew had pink hair. How beautiful would it look; her dark, pink, crimson hair mended together with the red of her blood? That was what he called true art. That was it; it was official. Ichigo Momomiya would be the one to kill at this night.

* * *

**HUZZAH! And there we have it. ;) Hope I'm not boring you! xD Anyway, anyone have any ideas as to what will happen? Besides the fact that Ichigo is obviously being targeted, does anyone want to take a shot, and see if one of their guesses are right? **

**There are still a lot of unanswered questions that Ryou provides to hint at, but never fully explains. Anyone have a guess? ;) Anyway, just be nice and give me a nice, review; and if you can help it, make it a long one. It's fun, sitting there and reading all the comments everyone has to make. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Doing the Forbidden…**

Baki shivered, his senses going into hyperventilation; though it appeared to be very far away, he could still smell it: the stench of bloodlust. He needed to calm down so that staying true to his duty would be doable; after all, Ichigo depend on him… Her _life _depended on him. He stood up, closing the windows, the room seeming to pick up heat because of the sudden lack of icy wind that had been freely roaming into the room before.

Walking himself back to the couch, he sighed, a troubled expression coming over his face. As much as he hated to admit it, he was uneasy. Lightly tapping his foot against the floor, trying to entertain himself by any means necessary, he stayed silent. Keeping quiet, Ichigo walked to the couch and seated by Baki, a happy expression overcoming her pale face.

Not knowing exactly what happened, Ichigo soon found her figure in Baki's arms, breath tickling her ears, sending shivers of enjoyment. Gently being pulled against him, an arm resting on her hip and the other on her neck, they stayed in that position. Body heat collided, and a sigh was brought out by pink, luscious lips; ones that seemed to be very tender, making any kiss enjoyable, and tempting to start. In a very short amount of time, a blush crept onto the face of the sentinel.

_This isn't right,_ was the only thought that came into mind. _She isn't mine, _was another thing that ran through his head. But he soon realized that the more denial he put on, the greater the hypnotizing force became. Being lulled by the force of her intoxication, hands roamed over her body, landing on her lush skin, her breast malleable under his finger tips. Pulling her closer to his body, though it seemed physically impossible, red lips were brought closer to pink ones. A heartbeat was heard, booming through the girls' ears.

"Ba--?" His lips silenced her, melting into oblivion. Strawberry tainted against the minty freshness of the night, pink blended into the crimson of blood, sweetness against sour. His hands cradled her figure, protecting the porcelain doll with all his might. The heat of her heart raced into her mouth, melting into the icy crispness of his breath; heat against ice. Breath began to race, aching for a new sparkle of life.

The moment their lips separated he knew he had to create a distance between them; he couldn't risk doing what he had just done again. Sighing and forcing his nerves to calm down, he took a stand and sat down on the white carpet of the floor, leaning his head against the sliding-door that led to the outside canopy.

_Just a few hours_, he thought, _and this will be all over. _So they sat. And they waited. The ticking off the clock seemed to go at the pace of their heart beats as the two of them sat in anxiety, adrenaline taking over. _This is too good to be true. _He eyed the outside and looked steadily through the trees and cars. _Nothing's happening. _A shot of false security flowed through his veins. _Heh. Maybe that 'thing' has a reputation bigger then itself. _Oh, he had prepared well before they entered the hotel room; he had made sure to cover his power source, making him almost literally undetectable. And with all the human interference below, he highly doubted that he would gather any unwanted attention.

He rain through his plans carefully and steadily through his head, trying to come up with any weaknesses in his preparation so that he could terminate them and make his tactic literally impenetrable.

He found none.

Everything was going well, and nothing wrong seemed to be oc- "Ow!" Apparently, his thinking was way ahead of him. "What is it?" he asked, trying his best to mask his worry but not prevailing in any way. "I-I cut myself." Fuck. "How?" All she had been doing was _sitting_; nothing that dangerous was in range of her, so… "It's only a small cut, but it happened when my hand slid next to the sharp corner of the desk." Great. Just great. This was exactly what he needed.

He sighed. Little droplets of blood drizzled onto the carpet, and he had to literally restrain himself from tackling her and sucking her dry. "Go," he said, pointing to the bathroom, "and wash it off." She obeyed.

**

* * *

**

The cold water ran over her hands as she brought some soap upon the small wound, wincing at the contact. After she rinsed it thoroughly, she wiped her hands on the towel that had been hanging on the rack and then went back into the living room where Baki sat. Setting herself on the couch, silence eating away from her soul, she couldn't help but be curious. What exactly _were _they hiding from? Were they even hiding from something at all? What exactly _was _going on? The question plunged into her head, and pretty soon made its way completely around her system; _it was all she could think about. _

"B-Baki?" "What?" She flinched at his emotionless tone. "Wh-What exactly are we hiding from? Are we even hiding from something at all? What's going on? And where's Ryou?" "Ryou? Huh? Oh! You mean-" Crud. He almost slipped there. "Oh! Of course. Heh. _Ryou_. Well, uh…you see," his voice became dry as he said the last part of his sentence, "I can't tell you."

She nodded, a slight coat of hurt shining clearly through her eyes. "I understand." After that, it was nothing _but _silence. The comfort that had once laid between them had turned into awkwardness, and Baki couldn't find anyone but himself to blame. "…I'm sorry." Ichigo blinked. "About what?" No response was given from Baki…and that was the way things stayed.

**

* * *

**

He glided with ease atop the buildings on the city, his figure moving far too fast for the human eye. He could smell it. He had _found it. _The smell of his hosts maiden; though it was very faint, he was still able to trace its exact basis. Excitement raced through him as he continued to rush quickly to his destination. It had been so long since he had done this, and he couldn't wait for the pleasure to arise before him once again. He yearned for it.

**

* * *

**

_Was the Lord okay? How about HIM? What was he up too? _That's what had been pounding against his head for a few sums of minutes now. If he really stopped to think about it, the source of all this terror didn't even have a name. It was simply 'it', 'he', or 'him'. Shaking his head from side-to-side, Baki tried his best to erase the thoughts that lay in his head, taunting him, and stood up to take a stretch. He needed to relax. "Ichigo," he whispered gently, "come here." She complied.

Standing up, her hips slightly swaying, she stopped before him and looked up; after all, he _was _taller then her. His fingers brushed against her pink tresses as he pressed his face against her forehead, breathing in her fruity aroma. Before he could even think twice about what he was doing, his lips slammed against hers once again as he pushed her against him, walking backwards onto the soft, cushioned sofa. Their breath mingled against one another as a moan escaped the rosettes lips.

_This is wrong_, he repeated over and over, _really wrong. _What he was doing was forbidden; he could be sent to prison, tortured, over even _worse: **executed. **_But even knowing these dangers wasn't enough for him to stop what was happening, and he found that he wanted more. She was rather addictive, really- like a drug that couldn't be stopped.

**

* * *

**

Ichigo could find herself leaning into his warmth, his touch. _He was so gentle. _She believed strongly that her attraction lye with Ryou, but this was far too strong for her to struggle against, but…she knew she had to stop. Mind was telling her this was wrong, while her heart yearned to suck up the warmth that she had been denied from for many years. She…she…she _had _to stop this…_now! _Pulling her lips away from his, she avoided his gaze, letting the pink of her hair cover her face entirely. She knew what she had done; she knew that he was hurt. But there was no other way to end what they had been doing.

**

* * *

**

His heart ached with rejection, but he knew that what Ichigo had done was right. She belonged to the _Lord_, **not **him. He suddenly felt ashamed. Is this what he had been assigned too? To mess with his Lord's mate? **_No. _**So why did he continue to do so? He needed to clear his head, and remain true to his mission: to protect Ichigo from the arising threat, and if he left himself get distracted he wouldn't be able to do that.

And that was when he noticed it.

His eyes grew wide and his heart hammered loudly against his chest. _Why hadn't he noticed that?! _He was such a fool; a lovesick fool, to be more specific. Here he was, fondling with the girl he was to protect and not letting instinct and mind take control of his obligation, but rather feelings.

He was a fool. A goddamn fool.

He took a stand quickly, not caring at the slight squeak he got from Ichigo as she dropped to the floor; after all, she had been leaning against him this whole time. "We need to go," he hissed icily, "and _now._" "But wh-" He didn't let her say another word. With one rush of air, Ichigo was in his arms and they were outside, the arctic wind propelling by their sides.

**

* * *

**

The blood. He could even smell it from here, and had no doubt that _fiend _could as well. When Ichigo had cut herself, some of the blood has stained itself on the carpet; and even though she went in to the bathroom to wash off all traces, the tinted carpet was none other then an easy clue as to where they were. It scared him, thinking about what could have happened if he hadn't noticed it in time.

But still…he had to be careful. Only god knew how long it had been since _he _had noticed the scent and began to track them down. He probably already had a good long distance behind him, and if he didn't hurry he might have an accidental run-in with _him _so he needed to move as quickly as he possibly could.

They had gotten lucky this time, but only god knew whether or not either of them would survive.

**

* * *

**

**Alrighty, people! I finally updated! ((cheers)) Hopefully that wasn't too boring. Anyway, guys, thanks for the support. I really appreciate it! Now if you'd just review, that'd be even better! xD **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Temptation**

"_Baki! Baki, hurry! You're moving too slow! I don't wanna miss it!" _

_He laughed. _

"_We have plenty of time, Luna—the beach isn't far from here, and the sun is still setting. We'll get a great view."_

_She whined._

"_I don't care! I wanna get there NOW!" _

_Baki smirked. _

"_Did you say now?" _

_The girl, her name only known as Luna, backed away. _

"_God no." _

_Baki laughed._

"_You asked for it," he smugly said, flashing a grin at her._

"_Baki, n-"_

"_Too late." _

_With one swift scoop, she was now in his hands as he ran at a pace of thirty miles an hour (which, to him, was quite slow). The girl in his hands shrieked, grasping onto his neck as if it were her only chance for survival._

"_I hate it when you do this! It scares the heck out of me!" _

_He could only chuckle every time a scream erupted from her throat, begging Baki to stop and just walk like a regular human being._

"_I'll have you know," he began to say, winking at her, "that I'm not human." _

_She pouted._

"_You know what I mean, Baki! Put me DOWN!"_

"_No means NO, Luna—you're going to stay in my arms for as long as I feel like it." _

"_Can't you at least run slower? I'm getting dizzy." _

_He rolled his eyes._

"_Humans. Luna, to me, this is WALKING. You're asking me to go slower now? Hn. I always knew you were never the type for action." _

_Poking his forward, Luna stuck out her tongue. _

"_Oh lookie here," Baki said with fake innocence in his voice, as if this were a surprise to him,, "we've arrived." _

"_You did that on a purpose, didn't you?! You were trying to distract me all along so that-" _

_Lips met lips as he caressed her figure, kissing her with all the passion he could. He was on the edge of losing control—already his veins began to thump and images were flashing through his mind as he thirsted for the day that he could take her, claim her, and bond with her to make sure that she would always remain __**his**__. He growled at the thought of someone taking away his one and only mate. _

"_Baki?" Luna questioned. She ran her fingers over his temple, leaning into his chest as she giggled. "As usual, we've made it right on time." _

"_Hn. Which means," his forehead touched hers, "you should stop doubting me." _

"_Very well then," Luna said, rolling her eyes—"from this day forward, I will never question your ability to arrive right on time to see the sunset." _

_Baki flashed a smirk._

"_Happy?" she grunted._

"_Much."_

_With her head resting on his chest and an arm around her shoulders, they were both silenced by the beauty of the sunset before them, the soft ocean waves gently being pushed onto the sand. _

_They could hear birds, but no other sound was able to penetrate the peace that dawned over the too. Luna's fingers wrapped themselves around Baki's wrist as she sighed contentedly. _

"_Baki?" she whispered, shattering the silence. _

"_Hm?" _

"_When…when will I have to change?" _

_He frowned._

"_I would prefer it to be before I bond with you to give me a better chance at controlling myself, but if you want the change afterward, it's perfectly fine with me." _

_She blushed at the mentioning of 'bonding'. _

"_I'd prefer to do it after," she quietly said, looking up at him to read his expression._

_Baki sent her a serene smile._

"_Your wish is my command." _

**

* * *

**_Damn it_, he cursed at himself. _This should be the least of my worries right now. Someone's trying to kill this girl, and I think…I think of_… 

"Baki?"

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, worry evident in her voice.

Baki blinked.

"And what is it exactly that makes you think something's wrong with me?"

"Your eyes are watering."

At that response, he was _surprised_. He hadn't even noticed! And when he brought his pinky finger to check, he was baffled. He _still _wasn't hardened enough to prevent himself from crying?

_Damn it, damn it. Damn it all! Why are all these memories coming back to me?! _

**You should know why, Baki, **a smooth, whispering voice said, ringing in his ears.

* * *

"You should honestly know why, Baki!" 

"Why you're obsessed with seeing the sunset everyday?"

"Yes! It has meaning to me!" Luna exclaimed.

"'Meaning'"? Baki asked, not fully understanding where this was going.

"….Do you not remember?"

"Remember what?"

Luna grew upset. Baki could tell, as she bit her lip, stomped her foot on the ground once, and turned away from him.

"Then I am not going to tell you," she hissed bitterly.

* * *

_After all this time…_his eyes softened, _I still remember her voice. _

_Damn it, Baki. This isn't the time to think about this. We've got a high-ranking monster out there chasing after us. What happened, happened. That's the past. This is the NOW. Don't ruin the future because of your memories. They are to be forgotten! _

There came the logical side of his mind. Great.

"I'm going to head to the ocean," Baki said, his feet gaining more speed as he said this. "It's the farthest away from our area at the moment, and though it's going to take a while to get there, I think it will be worth it. On the mean time, Ichigo, you and I are going to lay fake scents that will deceive him from our direction. In others words, I need you to…"

_I hope I can control myself. _

"Draw blood."

* * *

Luna was exasperated. He knew it. And he tried, really, really hard, to figure it out. 

_Uhm…I just assumed she came to see the sunset every day because it was pretty. Isn't that what most humans do, anyway? It's not like they have any real logical meaning behind it. It's merely a source of comfort, a sight of beauty. _

**You should remember, Baki**Luna's smooth, whispering voice said, much gentler than the first time she had said these words.

_Well…I guess I'll just start with square one: how we met. _

"I think I remember now, Luna."

"You do?" she positioned herself to see him, her face lit up with warmth.

"Does it have anything to do with how we met?" he asked.

"It has _everything _to do with how we met," she breathed in excitement. Placing her head on his shoulders, she sighed. "I knew you'd remember…"

* * *

_I remember! _Baki screamed with inner excitement. _On that day_, he paused, looking at the half-awake girl in his arms, _when I met Luna…there was an extravagant sunset. I had originally planned to go through the beach as a shortcut to get ready for hunting, but what I saw…was beautiful. Breathtaking. And it wasn't the sunset…it was the girl. With the way the colors of orange, yellow, red, pink, purple were hitting her…it was as if her hair was sparkling, her figure illuminating towards me, literally drawing me into like a fly to a spider web. _

_I couldn't hold my curiosity longer. And when she turned to me, her soft, emerald eyes dazed, and her hair a pastel pink, I knew immediately that this creature would forever draw my attention to her. She was the most beautiful thing I had seen in years. _

_But especially, when she smiled at me… I felt the coldness in my body warming up. It was a strange feeling to me. I had never experienced it before. She made me feel different. And because of that…_

_

* * *

_Baki, taking her chin, pressed his lips against hers, tasting her, and breathing her scent in and out. 

_It was because of that_, Baki remember, as he held Luna in his arms, _that I fell in love with her at first sight. _

* * *

"I remember," he hissed. 

Ichigo looked at him with questioning eyes.

"Damn it, I know…I know…"

_I know why I'm attracted to this girl, _he hissed. _Her hair…looks almost identical to Luna's hair on that day. And Ichigo, too…emits that strange warmth that just seems to literally…caress me. _

"Damn it!"

_Must I always be the one in reach of temptation?! _

* * *

She honestly didn't know why he seemed so furious with himself. His expression was constantly changing, and his emotions ranged constantly. What exactly was going on? 

"So…I must draw blood?" she asked to distract him.

Baki, his eyes looking strangely cold, nodded. "Yes." His voice hissed out, as if it were a snake.

Ichigo flinched once before taking her thumb to her lip and bit as hard as she could, in result, breaking the skin.

It dripped with blood.

_More temptation_, he roared. _What next?! She's gonna announce her undying love for me?! _

"Done. What now, Baki?" He seemed so…distracted.

"Here's what we're going to do: I'm going to head I'm going to head east for a while and let you keep dripping blood here and there to leave as a false trail. Eventually, I am going to stop at a dead end to confuse him.

Maybe an alley way, or something of the sorts. I'll then leave one last clue _over _the dead end, and then leave it at that. After that, I am going to sprint as quickly as I can west, but we're going to have to clean your wound and cover it with a bandage before we do that.

Once that's done, I will head towards the ocean. Even if _it_ does manage to follow us, the scent of the ocean will disorder it, and hide our trail quite well. After that, once we're along the border, I'm going to head _South_, with the ocean still covering his scent, which, to me, would be the best route because it's so obvious. He would think we're going North, since we want to avoid being anywhere we previously were. In other words…we're going in one big—"

"Circle," Ichigo finished for him.

"Correct. Now…let's get started, shall we?"

And they did.

Every now and then, Ichigo lowered her thumb and pinched it (to draw more blood) and let the wind take it as it landed on the ground. They continued this for about an hour an a half, leaving trails and dropping blood in such a complex matter. He first traveled straight, then in zig-zags, and then went forward really quick and then downward again, making an up-and-down zig-zag of the sort.

Baki was just trying to complicate things, really. And it was okay. Despite all that they had done, it wouldn't seem obvious to _it _that they were trying to leave a false trail. _It _could easily figure that Baki had lost control and simply attacked Ichigo. It wouldn't be surprising, really, with the amount of attraction Ichigo's blood held.

Baki had to constantly calm his nerves down just so he wouldn't turn around and attack the one person he was trying to protect. It was quite complicated. Only one with a strong-willed mind would be able to pull it off.

And, going along with the assumption that Baki had lost control, the weird manner the way the blood was dropped wouldn't uphold suspicion, either, for when vampires lost control, they tended to go _wild_. Baki himself had witnessed it many years ago. It was usually newborns, ones that weren't able to control themselves well; just the slightest scent of blood in the air was enough to make them go mad. They sprang in crazy directions that didn't make any sense, and didn't even have a sense of _mind_. When things got that serious, other vampires were sent to keep things in control and clean up whatever mess they had created so that humans still stayed ignorant of their existence.

Humans and vampires needed to co-exist, have some kind of _balance_, and the best way that could be is if one stayed unknown to the other. To humans, they were just a figment of imagination, a creation of one of many _Hollywood_ affects.

If a mortal were to discover their existence, the two different ways to dealt with them was to: erase their memories, or simply kill them on the spot. It depended on the desperation of the situation, but at times, the latter choice was chosen. Erasing one's memory was a long, difficult task, especially when the person did not cooperate.

Only chosen, experienced, hired vampires, whose specialty was to do such, were given a task like that. It took many hours, maybe even days, and there was always a risk that they could somehow regain their memories if they were to see something, or come to the area, that had some significance and could register in their mind.

Though this happened rarely, for the chosen ones were always _very _careful of their work, it was still something they had to wary of. Humans brought such unnecessary complications. But it was necessary. Without humans, vampires would cease to exist. Humans were their prey, they quenched their thirst, they fed them, and so they were of _great _importance.

That was probably the only reason why such creatures even took the time to deal with such beings that they felt were _much _lower than them. But no matter—they had a purpose. And so humans had to stay.

In a strange way, it was as if one depended on the other. The humans were so ignorant to the many tasks vampires had done for them. When newborns were out of control and on killing sprees, they were immediately eliminated. If a new pack of vampires were to approach and not follow the set of rules the ruling one, the one that had been there first, has, then they were to be erased as well.

In a twisted way, vampires _protected _humans from their own kind, because humans always ended up paying a mighty fair fee in the end, correct? Their _blood_ was more than enough for a payment.

To sum things up, humans were needed.

But it was forbidden to fall in love with a human.

Absolutely.

It would bring complications, and there always a chance of betrayal. The human population, as it is, was in danger, because of the constant killing sprees caused by the newborns, humans-just-turned-vampires, in other words.

Alas, they felt that they should stick to their own species.

Baki never understood that. Weren't vampires and humans one in the same? Vampires came from humans, and vampires _depended _on humans. Vampires themselves were _once _humans. To be honest, he felt that being a vampire was just a "souped up human"!

But no one ever agreed with him, even thought that what he said was obviously correct. Vampires were growing _arrogant_, thinking they were better than humans. Even hatred was growing for them.

_And that's why…that's why…SHE isn't in this world anymore_. Baki's eyes grew even colder. _It's forbidden..._, he hissed to himself, _and I knew that. So…why couldn't I stop myself? _

* * *

**Wow, everyone. It's a miracle. I seriously remembered to update. O.o I'm sorry, but I seriously forgot about this fan fic…school had started, and I was just going nuts. But, it's Christmas break at the moment, and I'm enjoying just lounging around and being lazy!**

**Anyhow, I'm really sorry. Happy holidays, everyone!**


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